


The Dreams of the Hunted

by Fabulousgirl85



Series: The Hunted Series [2]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Feels, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, F/M, Not Canon Compliant, Not Canon Compliant Because I don't know how Avengers 4 ends!, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Stephen Strange Is a Mentor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-05-08 01:36:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 91,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14683707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fabulousgirl85/pseuds/Fabulousgirl85
Summary: COMPLETED: Sequel to Hunter and The Hunted. Post IW and whatever Avengers 4 has in store for us.Half the world disappeared and reappeared with no memory of what happened. But Peter Parker remembers and it is a memory that has haunted his dreams ever since. And so he stays awake; he fights crime; he trains with Doctor Strange; and he keeps it all from his two best friends and his girlfriend.However when Senior Year begins, Peter finds it hard to hold it together. He can feel the control spiraling, and it's affecting everything that matters to him and attracts a demon that feeds on fear. Peter, along with his friends and new mentor, Doctor Strange, must find a way to face his own demons to fight the one that wants to trap his soul.





	1. The Start of Senior Year

**_Peter’s POV_ **

“So, you’re taking on the mob now?”

Peter looked up from his bologna sandwich, looking tiredly into his best friend Ned’s eager face. It was the third week back to school, and Peter Parker, his best friend Ned Leeds, his friend, Harry Osborn, and his girlfriend Michelle Jones, were sitting in the corner of the lunch room watching the rest of their classmates lining up for senior picture slots. The smiling faces, the excitement that had permeated throughout the lunchroom seemed to have completely evaded Peter. All he felt was tired and the thought of senior pictures made his head start to hurt.

Five months ago, he would have been just as excited as everyone else to graduate. It was all he and his friends thought about. But then as they were heading to the Museum of Modern Art for an end of the school year field trip, a spaceship appeared in the sky, and everything changed. Peter fought an alien in space; he died along with half of the universe; he fought his way through the Soul Realm with the rest of the fallen heroes; and he made it out just to watch his mentor and last father figure die. And here he thought the worst thing to happen to him was Ned betraying him over jealousy.

He swallowed his bite and nodded. “Yeah, something like that. The guys said they were working for the Kingpin. They said something about his main operation being in Hell’s Kitchen, but that’s a place, I don’t think I want to go.” He looked over at Michelle, whose head was tucked away in the book she was currently reading, a Virginia Woolf novel.

“Kingpin? What a perfect name for a mob leader,” Ned replied. “I didn’t know there was a mob in Hell’s Kitchen.”

“Yeah, I have heard that there’s a guy running around there they call the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen who’s been fighting them,” Harry said. “I’m sure he’d just see you as honing in on his territory and would probably take you out too.”

Peter rubbed his eyes. “Even though this mob is coming into Queens now.”

“The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen? Wow, what a bad ass name! Peter, maybe you should change your name to something more intimidating. Like the Wolf Spider… or something…” Ned trailed off, blushing at everyone’s bemused looks.

“Wolf spider?” Michelle finally glanced up from her book, giving Ned a skeptical look.

“What!? They are really venomous spiders, you gotta be careful around them! I mean if he was a girl, Black Widow…”

“Which is already taken,” Harry pointed out. “Oh, but what about calling yourself Venom, right? Because we all know that venom is dangerous and lethal, just like you.”

“Man, that does sound like a much scarier name,” Ned muttered, a tinge of spite in his voice.   

Peter suddenly let out a long yawn, interrupting the conversation about his choice of superhero name.

“Sleep much these days?” Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. “Or is web-slinging keeping you down?”

“What? No, no, I’m fine, it’s just been a couple of long nights, that’s all,” he replied, taking another bite of his sandwich. “Lots of crime fighting, you know?” He let out another yawn, which elicited further long looks from his friends.

“Maybe you need to take a night off,” Ned offered. “And you know, come to my house and help me build the new QuinJet Lego set.” His eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect.

“I can’t Ned, these guys are dangerous, I need to be out there,” he replied, an anxious feeling creeping up on him.

“I’ll come build it with you Ned,” Harry offered as Ned’s elated look deflated quickly. “After I check a few things at the office.”

“Man, he’s got his Spider-Man gig, you’ve got your company, heck even MJ is doing that protesting gig with ACLU!”

“It’s called an internship, Ned,” Michelle deadpanned.

“Okay, whatever… I feel like I need a badass after school activity,” Ned mumbled.

“You do, it’s Academic Decathlon,” Michelle said, not looking up from her book.

“Psh, we all do that… I mean except Harry. But I mean a real thing, something that like means something,” Ned retorted.

“Academic Decathlon doesn’t mean anything? Hmm, I’ll keep that when it comes time to build the national team,” Michelle replied lightly, giving him a strong glare before going back to her book.

“You want an internship at Oscorp?” Harry asked him.

“What?”

 “Yeah, I mean, we are always looking for interns. The IT Risk Management department is looking for one now, and I can’t think of a better hacker to work for them,” Harry replied.

Ned’s face lit up once more. “Harry that would be so awesome! I’m gonna be like ‘Oh yeah let me know if you need me to configure that firewall boss,’ or ‘Have you tried turning it off and back on?’ or,” Ned started spouting off more IT phrases the more excited he got over the prospect of having an internship at Oscorp. Michelle sighed audibly, making it obvious she was annoyed by Ned’s incessant, excited chatter.

“Oh and, um, but do I need like a resume or something? I don’t have anything like that… I mean, I don’t even think I have ever made a resume… Shouldn’t we have had a class on that or something?”

“We should have, but they don’t seem to care about teaching us about real world stuff,” Michelle retorted, shaking her head and returning to her book.

Ned looked at Peter and then at Harry for an answer, but both just shrugged.

“Come on, dude, I know you. And I’m in charge, so yeah, don’t worry about a resume,” Harry replied.

Ned started asking Harry a million questions, and Peter found himself zoning out of the conversation, a dull buzzing starting in his head. His eyelids were becoming increasingly heavier, and he felt the need to lay his head down on his hands. He appreciated his friends’ concern for him, but they just couldn’t understand what he went through. It wasn’t their fault, of course. No one except himself and the other Avengers knew what had happened all those months ago.

He tried to shake it off, get back out there and fight crime, but then school started. His teachers seemed to think now was the time for all of them to work harder since graduation was a year away. They had their futures to consider, they were told. Peter let out an inaudible sigh as the heaviness of sleep started to overtake him. If half of them only knew that their futures were nearly snuffed out if it wasn’t for Tony’s sacrifice. He used to think a lot about the future, but he quickly realized how fluid it was and how easily it could end. Now, when he thought about the future, he felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Visits to the Sanctum Santorum helped ease his mind for a little. Doctor Strange had become a sort of companion for Peter during the end of the world, and he had promised Tony he’d look after Peter after he died. Sometimes he didn’t seem particularly thrilled to have Peter running around all the ancient artifacts of the multiverse, but he appreciated Peter’s intelligence, and Peter liked watching him do his magic tricks.

“They aren’t magic tricks,” Doctor Strange had corrected him once when they were stranded on the planet Titan. “These are the mystic arts.”

Peter and Doctor Strange practiced a few times a week after school, Peter constantly trying to outwit Doctor Strange’s magically conjured weapons, and Doctor Strange constantly trying to come up with new ones to outwit him. It kept Peter’s mind distracted from everything else going on in his life, and he enjoyed it.

He couldn’t run from sleep forever, though, and Peter’s body quickly succumbed to the sleep that was invading him, and as he slowly drifted off, his mind entering into the dangerous world of his dreams.

_Everything went dark, and slowly a dark tunnel appeared, and Peter had a strange and urgent need to go through the tunnel. He started out in a slow jog, and then entered into a full-on sprint as the light at the end seemed to diminish slowly._

_“No,” he whispered, reaching out with his hand, running blindly toward the light. “No, please, wait for me.”_

_Voices started whispering all around him, and while it was hard to hear every word, some words stood out amongst the rest._

_“Failure.”_

_“Worthless.”_

_“Weak.”_

_Peter covered his ears and kept running, the light becoming a small speck amid the deep black of the tunnel. “Help,” he called out, but his voice felt far away and hoarse._

_Suddenly, he felt the ground tip beneath him and he looked down into an abyss whose jaws opened up to catch him. “No, no!” Peter shouted, grasping at the emptiness, trying to grab hold of something, anything to keep him from falling. He started to flick his wrist out instinctively as if to release a web, but he wasn’t wearing his suit. “Help me!” He cried out as the eyes of the whispers gathered around to watch him fall._

_“Peter,” they whispered menacingly._

_Peter_

_Peter_

“Peter?”

He felt a hand resting on his shoulder and jolted awake. Without thinking, he released a web from his web shooter that hit Ned straight in the chest. Ned nearly fell back, but Harry grabbed his wrist to help steady him.

Peter’s eyes widened as he realized what he had done. He looked straight into Ned and Harry’s faces, which had both gone pale with fear. He looked at Michelle, who had leaned back in a defensive stance, her face clouded with concern and worry. The four of them quickly looked about to see if anyone was watching them. Peter’s heart was pounding against his rib cage, fast and loud.

“Ned, I’m so sorry, I didn’t…” He quickly reached over and tore the webbing from Ned’s shirt, balling it up and stuffing it into his backpack. “So sorry,” he repeated, looking back up at his friend, who was staring at him with eyes wide and mouth agape. Peter looked around once more to make sure no one saw. He felt a tinge of relief seeing the other kids in the lunchroom completely ignoring their table.

“Whoa, Pete, you okay?” Harry asked, slowly removing his hand from Peter’s shoulder. Peter realized his hand was the one that woke him up. “You have a little drool on your,” he pointed to Peter’s chin, and he quickly wiped off some wetness, his face getting red.

Peter looked over at MJ who had finally put her book down. She watched him carefully, with her usual studious face. “I… I… I’m sorry, I guess not sleeping has finally caught up to me,” he finally said with a bashful smile.

“You were making weird noises in your sleep,” Michelle stated, her face not flinching or changing from its usual look.

“I…I was dreaming, you know, fighting the bad guys even in my dreams,” he joked, trying to make light of what could have been a disastrous situation.

“Ned’s a bad guy now?” Harry asked, looking at Peter dubiously.

“No, of course not! I just, you startled me, that’s all, and it just, you know…” Peter gestured toward Harry’s hand and then at himself and Ned.

“Oh, you mean you prematurely ejaculated,” Harry said nodding his head in sage-like fashion, while hiding a smirk, making Ned choke on the sip of his Coke.

Peter felt the tips of his ears go pink. “I don’t do… I don’t….”

“Oh Peter, Harry’s just being an ass,” Michelle said, rolling her eyes. “You and I both know that’s not an issue,” Harry made gagging noises, but Michelle ignored him, “But, you almost exposed your secret. I know a lot of us know now, but I’m not too sure you want Flash knowing.” She gestured toward the sleight stature of their irritating bully. He was sitting on top of his table, surrounded by the other smart, rich kids, bragging about something and making elaborate gestures with his hands. Michelle rolled her eyes at him. “Peter, you know I’m not a naggy girlfriend type. That’s not really my MO… but maybe you should hang up the suit for a little.”

Peter avoided her steady gaze. “I’m fine, really. Who needs sleep anyway? I thought sleep was for the weak.”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure that’s not true,” Michelle retorted. “Look, Peter, I think I speak for everyone at the table when I say, I’m worried about you, and I think you should take a break.”

Both Ned and Harry just looked away and down at their own lunches, but Peter could sense that they were in agreement with her. Peter frowned, and felt his chest tightening up around his heart, making him uncomfortable; he grabbed at his paper lunch bag, the force of his grip tearing into the bag, ripping a hole right through it. His pudding that Aunt May had packed came tumbling out and knocked right into Michelle’s book. “Whatever, I am so happy you guys are all _so worried_ about me, but I’m fine okay?!” they all winced. “You guys have no idea, okay? No idea what’s been going on, so don’t tell me I need to take a break!”  He stood up, grabbed his backpack, and without another word, stormed off toward the cafeteria double doors.

As he huffed and puffed toward the exit, he nearly ran into Cindy Moon, who was clutching an iPad to her chest. “Oh, hey Peter!” she called out after him, “You haven’t signed up for Senior photos yet! It’s a great gift for parents!”

Peter whirled around to face her. “My parents are dead Cindy, remember!?” Peter shouted. Not many things could shut down all of the conversations in the lunch room all at once, but Peter’s sudden outburst did the trick.  All eyes were now on him, judging him, scrutinizing him. Cindy’s face had gone pale, and with her jet-black hair, she looked almost ghost-like. Her lower lip trembled.

“I…I..I’m sorry Peter, I f…fo..forgot,” she stammered, backing away from him.

Peter could feel the anger in his chest burst and what came out of it was embarrassment. “Cindy, no, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to, uh, it’s okay, really, I’m sorry…”

“Forgot to take your Midol today, Penis Parker!?” Flash shouted in the quiet lunch room. His comment elicited snickers from the tables around him. Those snickers just emboldened Flash to continue to joke at Peter’s expense, each joke getting more laughs.

Peter didn’t even dare glance at his own table, where, he had no doubt, Ned, Harry and Michelle were looking in his direction with utter astonishment. He turned on his heel and sprinted out of the cafeteria before the entire lunchroom succumbed to laughter from Flash’s comment. He ran to the library, slipping inside its quiet walls and maneuvering toward a pair of plush sitting chairs that were hidden in a small corner of the library, a place he and Michelle would hide out in during Decathlon practice when neither of them felt like “practicing.” He dropped down into one of the chairs and started taking deep breaths to calm himself down.

He had no idea what had happened to him just now. He usually never got that upset, especially not at his friends, and lashing out wasn’t something he was known for. He looked at his hands, which were trembling a little bit and he clutched the arms of the chair tightly to stop them from shaking so hard. _Maybe they are right – maybe I do need to take a break_ , he thought.

“Figured you’d be here.”

He looked up and saw Michelle standing before him, her arms folded over her chest, her eyes searching him.

“Am I that predictable?” Peter asked helplessly. He relaxed his hands, the sudden presence of her easing his mind slowly.

She shrugged. “About as predictable as the news calling a white gunman mentally ill and not a terrorist.”

Peter winced. “I don’t think I like that comparison.”

She walked over to him and knelt down in front of him. “You never talk about it.”

“About what?” Peter asked, leaning forward and lowering his head against hers.

“You know what,” she replied quietly. “I know how much Tony meant to you, Peter. I know you don’t want to talk about what happened, and I know that there’s a lot more to Tony’s death than you’re telling me, but, we… I… don’t like seeing you like this.”

“I…can’t, MJ,” Peter said, his voice hoarse as he held back a sob. “I want to, but I can’t. It’s all… too much.”

MJ placed a hand on his knee. “I’m not going to pretend to be a therapist. That’s my mom’s job, and I hate when she does her shtick on me. But I don’t know how to be there for you if you won’t tell me.”

Peter looked into her eyes, usually tense and slightly annoyed, but at that moment, she looked afraid, truly afraid. He felt even worse then that he made her feel that way. She shouldn’t have to deal with all of this – she never asked for it.

“MJ, I just…. Can’t…” he replied, taking her hand off his knee. Michelle sighed and just stared at him, trying to figure him out. He tried to keep his thoughts off his face. She was always too good at reading faces. 

The bell for the next class rang at that moment, and he watched as Michelle turned on her heel and stormed off. Peter watched her go, a bit in awe at her resolve. It made a little bit of his anxiety start to subside, but there was still something deep inside him, gnawing and begging to get out. He was worried about what would happen when it did.


	2. Distractions and Dishonesty

Michelle’s POV

If the day could have dragged on any slower, Michelle would have aged 100 years by the time the last bell of the day rang. She endured a bleak lecture on the state of the current federal government from Ms. Morse and made it through three chapters of Mrs. Dalloway during AP English. Last period of the day was AP Physics, one of the few classes that she had with Peter in their final year, but Dr. Warren’s lecture on Hooke’s Law dragged on. She knew a lot about it already because Peter had explained it ad nauseum to her when he was showing her how his webbing worked. She glanced over at Peter and noticed that he had laid his head on the desk, his eyes closed. Michelle reached over and pressed her finger into his bicep. His eyes opened and looked directly at her. She gestured toward the front and he sighed, sitting up. He seemed to start slumping over again until Dr. Warren announced that he’d be handing back their first quiz of the semester.

“Now, I know that this quiz is just the beginning of the year stuff, but I don’t want you guys to get lazy already. We have a long way to graduation, okay,” He said as he walked around handing the quizzes back. Once he got to Peter’s row, he handed Peter’s quiz back face down and moved on.

Michelle watched him curiously, expecting him to have the usual satisfied look on his face, but instead she saw his eagerness slowly evolve into a shocking disappointment. Michelle looked back at her own quiz and grunted unenthusiastically at the 86 on the top of the page. That’ll do, she thought.

“Hey how’d you do?” Ned asked, leaning over from his chair next to Peter, craning his neck to see Peter’s paper.

Peter quickly slapped the paper back down on the desk face down. “Oh, you know, the usual.” He gave Ned a quick smile.

Ned sighed. “Of course, you did, you’re like a physics genius.” He groaned and put his head on his desk. “How can I make it through an entire school year of this stuff?!”

“At least it’s our last year,” MJ commented, her eyes focused on Peter; his neck was starting to break out in a nervous rash, his eyes wider than normal – all his tell-tale signs that he was lying.

When the last bell of the day finally rang, Peter was the first to jump up, ready to get out of there. MJ followed close behind, but paused as Dr. Warren spoke up. “Oh Mr. Parker, can I have a quick word before you jolt out of there for whatever adventures befall you out in the real world?”

Peter paused, cringing at Dr. Warren’s voice. He turned to look at his teacher, a tall, gangly man with thinning brown hair and glasses. “Sure Dr. Warren, uh, what’s up?” He glanced at MJ, and she signaled to him that she’d be outside. She slipped out of the classroom, and hunkered down next to the door, her head leaned back as if she was observing all the students walking through the hallway when she was really trying to listen to Peter and Dr. Warren’s conversations through the thick door. She was only able to make out a few words, but she could get the gist of it – Peter didn’t do as well on the quiz as he told Ned he did. She heard the door open, and she quickly moved out of the way for Peter to trudge through. He looked defeated.

 “So I’m guessing you didn’t get a 100% on that quiz.” Her voice must have come as a surprised to him, making Peter jump.

He turned around and saw her leaning against the wall next to Dr. Warren’s classroom door. She had a concerned look on her face. “Were you spying on me?” Peter asked, sounding defensive. “Wait, why am I even asking that? Of course, you were.” He turned and started marching to his locker. Michelle pushed off from the wall and followed him. “It’s just one quiz, AND it’s only the second week of school! I don’t know why Dr. Warren has to get on me about it!” Peter exclaimed, pulling on his hair which was starting to curl from the left-over humidity of the summer. Michelle would never say it out loud, but Peter’s low-key curls were one of the first things that attracted her to him.

“He’s jealous,” Michelle replied, grabbing one of his hands and entwining her fingers with his. “He’s intimidated by your intelligence...” She started to smile, but something about the way Peter hand stayed limp in hers made her stop.

Peter looked over at her. “Still, it’s just one quiz.”

“How badly did you do?” she asked and decided them to see for herself. She grabbed his quiz from his back pocket of his jeans.

“Hey!”

She opened the paper up and looked down at the red ink that littered the page. 40%, that can’t be right? She thought.  “Peter, were you even paying attention during the quiz?” Peter ripped the quiz out of her hands and crumpled it up. Michelle realized her mistake, and instantly felt bad. “Okay, that was blunt, I’m sorry.”

“I was tired okay? You were over two nights ago, you remember how you woke up and I was,”

“Hanging upside down on the ceiling listening to Kendrick Lamar? Yeah, I remember. You didn’t sleep that whole night?”

He nodded, slammed his locker shut, and leaned up against it in frustration. “No, I didn’t. I couldn’t. And I just remember looking at the quiz and my head hurting. I just kind of circled some stuff and handed it to Dr. Warren so I could lay my head on the desk for a little before the rest of you finished.”

Michelle took his hand and squeezed it. “Peter,” she started, the question that had been begging on the tip of her tongue ready to come out ever since school ended last year and he became distant. Ever since Tony Stark died.

“Hey love birds,” Harry called out, making her lose her train of thought. She frowned, silently cursing the blonde-haired boy.

“Ooh, sorry, was I interrupting an intimate moment?” Harry teased, going in to give Peter a high five. Peter raised his hand weakly for Harry to slap.

“Hey guys!” Ned exclaimed as he ran up to the small group. “What did I miss?”

“Peter and MJ were about to get it on in the hallway,” Harry replied.

Peter blanched. “No, we weren’t…”

“It’s okay, Peter, Harry’s just jealous he hasn’t been on a date with a real girl in months,” Michelle replied, rolling her eyes. Her moment was gone, again. Her questions would remain unanswered.

Harry held up his hands in defeat. “Hey, I can’t even lie about that. You know how hard it is finding a girl our age who wants to date someone who owns their own company?”

“Not hard at all?” Ned offered.

Harry grinned. “Yeah, not hard at all, my man,” He and Ned fist bumped.

“Okay, I’m choking on the high-level of machismo in this area right now,” Michelle said, turning to face Peter. “What are the plans for tonight?” All summer, she could count the number of times her and Peter spent time alone on one hand. It was strange to go from being together almost every day, to him finding excuses to not see her. She was beginning to wonder if there was an ulterior motive to the lack of attention.

“Actually,” Peter said, his eyes narrowed toward Michelle, “I think I’m going to the Sanctum to practice with Stephen.”

“The Sanctum?” Harry asked, a bulb going off in his head. “Hey Peter, there was something I actually wanted to talk to you about that…”

“Really, again?” Ned whined, cutting off Harry. “You always go over there now. Who is this guy anyway? You never even told us. I mean is, was, he a friend of Tony’s or something?”

Michelle felt a pang of disappointment and fear – fear that her thoughts might not just be made up in her head. She then noticed that Peter had gone ghostly pale when Ned had mentioned Tony, and he was clutching his chest, as he tried to take quick, shallow breaths.  

“Peter are you okay?” Michelle asked, lightly punching his shoulder. When he didn’t respond, Michelle pushed Ned out of the way and got right in front of Peter. “Hey seriously, Peter, look at me,” she said sternly.

Peter gasped for air, his hands reaching for his knees as his body shook, and the alarms in Michelle’s head started going off. She crouched down next to him and placed one of her hands on his knee. “Peter,”

“Dude, Peter, snap out of it,” Ned interjected worriedly, grabbing one of Peter’s arms. “People are starting to stare.”

Michelle looked up and noticed a few of the other students starting to stop and look at them. Michelle usually didn’t care if people stared, she was used to people being struck by her weirdness, but people staring at Peter was another thing – especially if they had another incident like the cafeteria. “Don’t tell him to snap out of it, Ned,” Michelle hissed.

“What? Why?” Ned asked, looking at his friend, frightened. “I mean, what’s wrong with him? Is it…” he lowered his voice, “his body reacting to the spider bite finally?”

“I don’t know, he tells me about as much as he tells you these days,” she snapped, clamping her hand down on Peter’s shoulder. “Peter, breath, okay? You have to breath,” she said, using her other hand to grab his chin and guide his eyes to hers.

His eyes looked wild and unfocused, and her own chestnut eyes clouded over with concern. She pressed her forehead against his, and kept murmuring under her breath, “just breathe.” She could see his eyes coming back into focus, the crease in his forehead start to relax. Michelle pulled away from him so that he could catch his breath and straighten up.

 “Sorry,” he finally said, standing up straighter. “I, um,”

“Dude what was that?” Ned cried out. “I mean, one minute you’re completely normal and the next acted like you just saw a bunch of Dementors or something.”

Peter picked up his backpack off the floor and shifted it onto his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m sorry, that’s kinda of why I go see Doctor Strange. It’s… a long story.”

Michelle crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an incredulous look. “So, he’s a real doctor?”

“Uh, sort of yeah, you know he is the best neurosurgeon in the world,” he replied, as he started backing away. “Look, I’ll talk to you guys later okay?” He sidestepped them and took off down the hall, as fast as he could without getting in trouble for running. Michelle watched after him, her mind clouding over with a pain she had never felt before – a pain that came  from rejection, hurt, avoidance, and the realization that maybe her previous thoughts about Peter’s feelings for her were not completely unfounded after all. 


	3. The New Mentor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because after watching every single interview with Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Holland from the IW press tour, I'm convinced these two need to have more screen time together.

**_Peter’s POV_ **

Peter jumped down into the dark alleyway that ran behind the looming Sanctum Santorum. He had swung through New York City so many times, and yet he was still struck by the fact that he never noticed the building before.

“We have wards around the building that cloak the building from people passing by. Unless you’re looking for it, your mind would be encouraged to look the other way.”  

However, once you did see it, it was hard to not notice the wide and imposing Victorian-style building with its green copper roof that sloped down on all four sides with two stacks of chimneys on each side of the building. Its tall ornate windows sunk into the structure and were partially guarded by wrought-iron bars that gave the building an ornate and historic feel. What stood out the most to Peter, thought, was the expansive, round window in the very center of the roof that pointed upward to the sky like a telescope pointed to the heavens to uncover its secrets. It was decorated with a strange, metal pattern on the outside, which Doctor Strange had told Peter was the Seal of Vishanti. Peter had no idea what that meant, but it sounded mystical and important.

Peter dusted off his Spider-Man suit and stood up in front of the bare backside of the building. “Hey Karen, could you let Doctor Strange know I’m here?”

“Certainly Peter. Calling Doctor Strange.” His suit AI, Karen, connected Peter to Doctor Strange’s cell phone.

“You’re early,” Doctor Strange said, his voice surly and surprised. “Are you in the back?”

“Yeah, in the alleyway.”

Suddenly, the burnt-orange brick faded away as a hole opened up in its place, surrounded by sparking magical energy. Peter could see straight into the Sanctum Sanctorum’s main foyer and caught a clear glimpse of the keeper of said Sanctum.

Doctor Strange was slightly younger than Tony was, but he gave off an air of maturity that Tony had often lacked. However, his ego and arrogance had matched Tony’s in many ways. He was tall and slender and wore his facial hair in a distinct goatee that always made Peter think of his former mentor, and his hair was graying slightly on the edges around his ears. What always fascinated Peter, though, was Doctor Strange’s garments. He wore leather boots – The Vaulting Boots of Valtorr – and a red cape -The Cloak of Levitation - that had a mind of its own.

Peter remembered the first time he stepped foot into the Sanctum and Strange had given him a tour. It left Peter with one burning question, “Is there anything in this house that doesn’t have a proper name to it?” Doctor Strange only rolled his eyes.

The portal closed behind him, and Peter strode forward. “Sorry about being early… school was just… yeah…”

Strange crossed his arms. “No, it’s fine, I don’t have anything else to do other than keep your reality safe from dimensional demons and what not.”

Peter scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. “Oh… kay… Well, if you need to get back to keeping reality safe, I can just go to library and wait for you…”

“You’re here now, so I guess I’ll leave it up to Wong. Wong?!” He called up the stairs and a short, slightly overweight man with short black hair and almond color skin emerged from one of the rooms upstairs. He was dressed in the same style tunic as Strange and had an air of urgency about him. “Stephen, I just got Master Hun from London, if we don’t…”

“You’re gonna have to do it yourself, Wong,” Strange answered, ushering Peter closer. Wong’s eyes traveled over to Peter and he sighed.

“I think I liked you better when you didn’t care about other people,” Wong muttered. Strange just smirked.

“You got this, Wong, you don’t need me, you and the others can handle Shuma-Gorath all by yourselves. I have faith in you,” Strange replied, widening his smirk.

Wong narrowed his eyes at Strange and shook his head. He turned and started back into the room from which he had come, muttering what Peter could only imagine were curse words in Chinese.

Peter looked at Strange worriedly. “Uh, Doctor Strange is now a bad time? I mean, I can come back later, if you want.”

Strange flicked his hand ambivalently and started toward the library, Peter jumping into a stride behind him. “No, need, Wong is perfectly capable at handling small nuisances like Shuma-Gorath.”

A loud roar echoed through the building, and Peter’s head whipped toward the room where Wong had locked himself in. “Uh… are you sure?”

Doctor Strange pushed the library door open and gestured for Peter to enter. “Shuma-Gorath is just a class three demon. Wong has the other sanctums’ guardians available for help and they will banish him back to his realm. Although…” He paused as he shut the door behind Peter. “He did rule over mankind millions of years ago.” Peter’s eyes widened in amazement. “But can you blame him? Our ancestors weren’t much more than animals at that point, and seeing an extraterrestrial being with tentacles and one big eye probably would have scared them into submission.” 

“Okay…”

Doctor Strange detached his cloak from his tunic and it slowly floated toward it’s resting place, a headless canvas mannequin. Peter couldn’t help but watch it in fascination. No matter how many unusual and crazy things Peter sees, Strange’s flying cloak still amazed him because there seemed to be no science to explain the mind of its own.  “So, what shall we work on today, Mr. Parker?”

Peter set his bookbag down on a blood-red crushed velvet chair with claw feet. He pulled his t-shirt and jeans off, revealing his Spider-Man suit underneath. “Right, okay, so, Doc, I was thinking that we might work on some weapons combat. If that’s okay with you that is,” he answered, slipping his mask over his head.

Doctor Strange hit his wrists together twice and pulled his left arm back, manifesting a gold sword made of magical energy. “It has been awhile since I’ve gotten to play with these,” he commented. “I’m sure I don’t have to remind you, Peter, that your opponent won’t,” he was interrupted by a swift kick to his chest, staggering backward.

Peter had sprung up from the spot he stood and attacked Strange unaware. “Wait for you to get ready? Yeah I had a feeling you’d say that!” Peter exclaimed, releasing his webs at Doctor Strange. Strange had regained his composure though and used his magical energy sword to slice through Peter’s webs as if they were made of butter.

“So you have been paying attention,” Strange commented, a small grin appearing on his face. He tapped his wrists together once more and with his left had created a second sword. Now dual-wielding, he beckoned Peter to attack him with a nod. Peter came at him once more and they began their fight, each blocking and advancing with new and different attacks.

When Peter was in that room with Strange, he felt an eerie calm come over him. Training somehow made him forget, for a time, the gnawing sensation of guilt and pain that ate away at his insides. Strange was straightforward and focused, and he didn’t want to talk to Peter about his feelings or his life. There was a time when that was all Peter wanted from a mentor, a potential father figure. But he realized by doing that, he got attached and… he shook the thought from his mind as he dodged a few of Strange’s jabs and swings, spinning out and leaping up and over his opponent. He knew that if he had asked Strange to use the full extent of his magical abilities, Peter would be working a lot harder, but then he also knew how much Peter hated cleaning up that library after an intense session.

Peter took another leap up and over, but Strange was ready for him, and he used his swords to block Peter from completing his flip. The force from the energy blades threw Peter back into a wooden stand with a large tome sealed with a large metal lock sitting atop of it. Peter knocked it over as he used it to break his fall. “Getting too predictable, Mr. Parker!” Strange called out, as he marched toward him.

Peter groaned as he sat up, looking back at the book with an ornate brass cover and chain and lock around it. “Dude, is that your diary or something?” He said, reaching around to grab it. “It’s massive.”

Strange got there first, however, lifting the tome off the floor. “No, it is not my _diary_ ,” Strange answered, his voice losing the tint of playfulness it had during their fight. “This is the Book of Cagliostro, one of the first Masters of the Mystic Arts who studied some of our darkest and most secretive spells and knowledge. He was the first one who was able to control the time stone, known to him as the Eye of Agamotto.”

Peter felt a chill wash over him as Strange said time stone. An image of a large metal gauntlet with six uniquely colored stones flashed in his mind, as did Tony’s pain-ridden face. He blinked a few times to get it out of his head. “Oh, this is how you learned to use it?”

Strange nodded and set the book back on the stand. “Yes, a decision I still do not regret to this day.” He held his hand out for Peter to take. Peter used it to help himself back onto his feet. A silence fell over the room and Peter could feel it start to shrink around him, the familiar tense feeling rising in his body. He took a step back from Strange, knocking back into the stand. “Okay, kid, seriously?” Strange groaned, grabbing Peter’s hand. “I thought you were supposed to have…” he stopped mid-sentence, his features going from exasperated to concerned. “Peter are you okay?” He reached out and grabbed Peter’s shoulder, stabilizing him.

Peter slowly bent over and took several shallow breaths. “I…I.. I don’t know. It’s been… happening…. The last few…. Days….”

Strange placed his hands on Peter’s shoulders. “Breathe, Mr. Parker. You’re experiencing a panic attack,” he said as calmly as possible. “Deeper breaths, I’ve had these before, when I thought all hope was lost and I’d never use my hands again. You must breathe.” He took a deep breath to guide Peter. Peter looked up at him and followed his lead. “Yes, that’s it, Mr. Parker, very good.”

Peter could feel the grip of fear loosening just as a loud explosion was heard from outside the library. Peter’s spider senses overtook his anxiety at that moment, the tingling sensation coursing through his body. Peter grabbed his mask and slipped it over his head. “I thought you said Wong had that Suma-whatever his name under control?”

Strange beckoned for his cloak, which came flying to him and wrapped itself over his shoulders. He raced to the door, opening it quickly. As he did, a man came flying at him, and Peter reacted instantly, shooting a web to catch the man from crashing into the bookcase on the opposite wall.

The man jumped up, dusting off his tunic. He looked in Peter’s direction and said, “Thank you, um, boy spider?”

“Er, yeah anytime,” Peter replied, turning to follow Doctor Strange out of the door.

“Strange!” It was Wong. He was standing at the foot of the grand entrance stairs with two other sorcerers, each of them trying to hold together some type of mirrored force field. Peter looked in the direction of what they were trying to keep from escaping.

What Peter saw looked like a monster straight out of Dungeons and Dragons. It was nearly the size of the foyer with slimy tentacles that were splaying out toward the sorcerers trying to break their defenses. It was a sickly green color and had one eye the size of a monster truck wheel. “What the hell?!” Peter exclaimed, leaping into the air and planting himself on the ceiling.

“Wong, I thought you had this under control!” Strange shouted, joining him in keeping up the force field.

“Well, we did, but if we had the Sorcerer Supreme with us, he wouldn’t have broken through our wards and escaped! But you’re too busy babysitting the spider boy!”

“Uh, it’s Spider-Man, actually,” Peter interjected. “What do you need me to do Doc?”

“Can you secure him so we can perform a spell to send him back to the realm from whence he came?” Strange shouted back.

“I can whence anything I think!” Peter joked, springing into action. He flung himself toward Shuma-Gorath’s large flailing body and shooting his webs at it. They stuck to the demon’s thick tentacles and Peter swung around them once, twice, three times until two of his tentacles were tied together, incapacitating it. Shuma-Gorath let out howl and one of the other tentacles swung at Peter, knocking him back. He caught himself and responded by shooting two webs into the demon’s eye, blinding him. “Yes! Got it!” He exclaimed and then with lightning speed, shot out web after web tying down the creatures limbs. “I think he’s good Doctor Strange!” Peter exclaimed, swinging out of the way for the sorcerers to perform their spell.

“Impressive Peter, okay gentlemen, let’s begin.”

Peter watched from his perch on the second floor as the sorcerers created a symbol out of magical energy that they pushed onto the demon. It opened up a hole, a doorway Peter assumed, to the demon’s home, and it fell through, howling and crying in agony. The hole quickly sealed up, leaving behind Peter’s webbing all over the staircase.

The force field fell and it seemed like everyone could take a breath. “Well done everyone, especially you, Peter,” Strange said looking up at him with an approving smile.

Peter felt pride blossoming in his chest. “Thanks Doc!” He called out, dropping down to the foyer, landing with ease.

“Well done? Well done? Stephen, do you realize….”

Strange cut him off. “Wong, I think, what you should be doing right now instead of chastising me is thanking the boy for his help.” He shot Wong a sharp look.

Wong went to open his mouth in retort, but just sighed and turned to Peter. “Thank you for helping us.”

Peter bit his lip nervously and pulled his mask off. “Uh, yeah thanks Mr. Wong. And, uh, sorry about keeping Doctor Strange, I should have just,”

“Nonsense. Don’t apologize, Mr. Parker,” Strange said quickly. He turned to the other sorcerers. “Thank you everyone for your assistance. Please take your leave and head back to your posts.”

They all nodded and murmured, “Thank you Sorcerer Supreme,” before creating their portals with their sling rings and heading back to their own Sanctums.

“Wong, I think you need some food, you’re awfully grouchy,” Strange said, turning to his friend who still looked obstinate.

“I am a bit hungry. You had promised me authentic Chinese food before I head back to Kamar-Taj.”

Strange nodded. “And I suppose I’m paying again?”

“You are the famous surgeon are you not?” Wong ribbed.

Strange rolled his eyes and smiled. He then turned to Peter. “What about you?”

“What about… Oh dinner?” Peter glanced around the foyer. “Actually, I thought I’d, you know, fight some crime before I get to my homework.”

Strange and Wong exchanged amused glances. “Can’t fight crime on an empty stomach can you?” Strange said definitively, waving his hand over the front of his body, disguising his tunic as a pair of grey trousers and a white button-down shirt. He gestured to Wong to repeat his actions. “Come on Mr. Parker, let’s go grab some Wo Hop.”

Peter nodded. “Okay, um, let me just…” He shot a web out at his backpack and brought it to him, openingit up and putting on his street clothes. “Okay, I’m ready to go.”

“Stephen, I’m not so sure a place call Wo Hop has the most authentic Chinese food,” Wong said, crumpling his face up in judgment as they headed through the front door. “Now, if we were back in my home country…”

“Wong, would you like to take us to China right now? We can just open a portal and,”

“Peter?”

Stephen paused at the top of the stairs, and Wong and Peter bumped into him. “Uh, who are you?” Stephen asked suspiciously.

Peter scooted around the two sorcerers and his face went pale when he realized who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. “MJ?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. I also love Wong and Doctor Strange banter :)


	4. Bewildered Perspectives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! thanks for the bookmarks and kudos so far! new chapter is up! Thank you for the support it means the world to me and makes me want to keep writing!!

**_Harry’s POV_ **

“That was weird, right?” Ned asked, as he, Harry, and Michelle watched Peter race down the school corridor after suffering what must have been some type of panic attack.

Harry looked over at both of them. Ned looked confused, and Michelle looked concerned, and if Harry was right, a little hurt. She never really showed those emotions on her face, but Harry had experience with seeing Michelle this way, nearly a year ago when he helped her save Peter from his own father.

Harry stepped up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder because he felt compelled to comfort her. The touch made his stomach lurch in a strange way. “Hey, are you okay?” She turned her head sharply toward him, looking scandalized by his touch. He quickly moved his hand off of her, embarrassed by his compulsion. “Sorry.”

Michelle jostled her backpack strap higher up onto her shoulder. “I gotta get to my internship,” she said stiffly and pushed around them, following Peter’s path out the door. That left himself and Ned. Harry could feel Ned’s eyes now on him, and  Harry realized he was looking to him for guidance. _That's unusual_ , Harry thought.

“Okay, what is going on? Am I missing something?” Ned said, looking more confused than ever. Harry shrugged.

“I think we all are, Ned.” He started walking out, Ned at his heels.

“I mean, over the summer I though Peter was just busy with being a superhero and everything, but now we’re back at school, and it’s like he’s not really here.”

“Maybe something happened to him over the summer,” Harry replied, heading for the parked Town Car that was waiting for him. He stopped at the passenger door and looked back at Ned. “Are you coming?”

Ned looked even more confused then, so Harry clarified. “The internship, remember? If you want it, might as well get you started today.”

Ned’s slack jaw tightened into an elated smile. “Yeah, man! Let’s go!” He climbed into the car after Harry. “So what do you think happened to Peter this summer?”

Harry chuckled. “Ned, what makes you think, I know?”

Ned shrugged. “I don’t know because you and Peter are connected by everything that happened last year.”

“Ned, we just became friends, we aren’t soulmates or something,” Harry retorted. “But, if you don’t know and MJ doesn’t know, I doubt I would.” He could see that Ned seemed perplexed and upset by his best friend strange behavior, and Harry felt a responsibility to put his friend at ease. “Ned, you know it’s probably because of Mr. Stark’s death, right?”

“Yeah, but he won’t talk about it. I mean, I saw Peter go up in that space ship too… so how come Tony’s dead and Peter’s still here?”

“Use your imagination Ned,” Harry sighed. “Or your brain. Tony wouldn’t let anything happen to Peter.”

“Okay, got it, but still… Peter’s uncle died almost three years ago, and he didn’t act like this when he died. And you can’t tell me that Tony meant more to Peter than Ben. There’s no way.”

“I don’t know, I never met his uncle, clearly.” Harry pulled his phone out and started flipping through his Snapchat. He clicked on “BlackCatXOXO” and a black-haired girl with a porcelain-like face popped up on his screen. Her full red lips were puckered and her blue eyes were begging him and the words “OFFICE ALONE TIME?” were written across the picture in a cartoony font. Harry partially covered his phone so Ned wouldn’t see, and quickly replied back, _Ned’s with me_. “But, yeah, Ned, I imagine that he would be super upset about his uncle’s death too.”

Ned sighed. “I should just ask him, right? I’m his best friend after all, if he’s gonna tell anyone, it should be me.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at Ned’s remark, but didn’t counter it. “Why haven’t you asked him yet?”

“Why haven’t you?”

Harry knew they both knew the answer. They were both afraid to ask Peter. Harry had gotten to know both boys very well over the course of their junior year, enough to know that Ned wasn’t great at talking about feelings, and Peter seemed to have a bad knack for keeping important things from people he cared about. Which was why they all found themselves in a strange world full of unsaid things.

Harry had his own unsaid things too. Things he should have told Peter about a long time ago, but he never could find the right time. _The Sanctum Sanctorum_. The name echoed in Harry’s mind like a bad taste that lingered in your mouth. It was part of an unsavory memory that Harry pushed deep inside. It had scared him so completely that he subconsciously buried it. He remembered wanting to tell Peter about it, but the longer he waited to tell him, the less he wanted to.  

Then Peter mentioned that place. The place from his father’s notebook; the place that _he_ wanted to know about. The memory of their meeting had haunted Harry ever since.

_Harry walked up to the loft and slipped his key into the keyhole._

_“Do you need anything else sir?” His new driver, Antonio, had asked, lingering at the elevator._

_Harry turned slightly and gave him an impish grin. “I think I can handle anything that comes my way, Antonio… Plus, I do have Spider-Man as my personal guardian angel, so I think I’m good.” He watched his driver roll his eyes at the mention of Harry’s masked friend, turn and walked back into the elevator._

_Harry unlocked his front door and slipped inside the dark loft. Something about the darkness had always scared him, so he was eager to turn on the lights. As soon as he did, he had wished that he had asked Antonio to stay._

_“Hello little Osborn,” the rotund man with a shiny bald head and a crisp all black suit stood in the center of the loft, four equally large men with even larger biceps standing around him. Each one had several handguns strapped to their belts, and Harry imagined they had other tools of death hidden in creative places._

_Harry backed into the door and groped helplessly for the knob. If he could just get back to the elevator then maybe…_

_One of the guards was quicker though  and took two long strides before grabbing Harry’s wrist and yanking his hand off the doorknob._

_“Tsk, tsk, Harry, is that any way to greet guests in your home?” the bald man asked, a smile creeping onto his face._

_“I…I’ve ss…see…seen your f….f…face before,” Harry stammered, wincing at the pain emitting from his wrist as the brute of a guard squeezed it. “Aren’t you that gangster that got arrested a few years back?”_

_“I detest the word gangster, it’s a derivative slang term that doesn’t even come close to describing the vast and intricate organization I run,” Fisk complained, balling his stubby, fat hands into fists. “But you’re just a child, so I guess I’ll let your unimaginative vocabulary slide. Shall we sit down?”_

_Harry grimaced as the body guard pulled him toward the couches in Harry’s living room. He threw Harry down onto the loveseat, and Harry cradled his injured wrist, staring over at Fisk who had taken a seat on the long couch facing him.  “Whatever it is you want, Mr. Fisk, I don’t think I can help you. My father was a secretive man and didn’t really like me all that much… so I wasn’t privy to a lot of his business deals, legit or not.”_

_Fisk rested his elbows on his knees and rapped his fingers together. “Yes, I know. Norman wasn’t a fan of yours. But when you know a Stark, you can always find a way to keep a business even if your father didn’t want you to.” Fisk sighed. “That’s not nice of me, I shouldn’t talk ill of the dead.”_

_Harry felt a twinge of anger. “What do you want?”_

_Fisk laughed. “You’re quite confident for a 17-year-old. Money does that to a person, I guess. So, let me cut to the point. Before my unfortunate time in prison, I came to your father and made  a bargain with him. There is a tool that I think would be quite useful to my organization, a tool that is kept secret by some magicians.”_

_“Magicians? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harry replied. “Sounds like a bunch of bullshit though.”_

_Fisk laughed. “Your father thought so too. So I made a deal with him; find out where it is, and I’ll help him get back what he wanted most.”_

_“What, his pride? I don’t think even you had the power to do that.”_

_“No, Mr. Osborn, your mother.”_

_Harry felt the room go still. Fisk was eyeing him with a luring grin, as if he knew he now had him on the hook. Harry felt taken, but he couldn’t help himself; he needed to know more. “My mother’s dead.”_

_“But what if she didn’t have to be?” Fisk responded. “What if there was an object out there that you could use to turn back time… erase the mistakes of the past, fix what was once broken?”_

_“What like some spell like in that TV show all the girls like Supernatural_?”

“Precisely.”

_A memory hit Harry then – papers he had found over a year ago in his father’s study._ Agamotto, time travel, New York, _“Sanctum Sanctorum,” Harry whispered out loud._

_“What’s that?”_

_Harry looked up at Fisk worriedly. “What? Nothing.” He looked down at his wrist and tried hard to concentrate on it. He suddenly felt the presence of that body guard looming over him._

_“Harry, please, I do not want to hurt a child,” Fisk sighed._

_Harry looked up at the bodyguard and back at Fisk. “You would really bring my mother back?”_

_Fisk smiled. “Well I had promised your father I would, but with him gone, I guess that promise goes to you.”_

_Harry nodded. “There are some papers underneath the laptop over there on my desk,” he said, gesturing toward the steel frame desk that sat in a corner of the room._

_One of the other bodyguards walked over to retrieve the papers. He grabbed them and brought them back to Fisk, who took them and started thumbing through them. “So Norman did find out information on it… It’s not just a myth,” he breathed._

_“The Sanctum Sanctorum,” Harry spoke up. “I don’t know where it is though, the papers don’t say.”_

_“That’s fine. Now that I have a name, surely rumors will help me locate it.” He folded the papers up and put them in his pocket. “The Eye of Agamotto. Sounds superfluous doesn’t it?”_

_“Sounds like something my nerdy friends would try and acquire in a game of Dungeons and Dragons,” Harry replied._

_Fisk laughed. “It will benefit us both, Mr. Osborn. Would you like to help me continue my search?”_

_Harry felt a pain in his stomach; helping Fisk wasn’t right. If Peter found out… “I don’t know if I can.”_

_“Oh right, I saw your press conference a while back. You’re friends with that Spider-Man aren’t you?”_

_Harry gulped visibly. “I’m not telling you who he is.”_

_Fisk grinned. “Oh he hasn’t been much of a problem for me, yet. Don’t worry, I’ll let you keep his secret a little longer. But, that shouldn’t stop you from getting back a piece of your past should it?”_

_Harry didn’t say anything. He felt so conflicted that he was struck dumb. “Well,” Fisk said, standing up. “I’ll let you think about it, Harry. But in the meantime, thank you for giving me this information. I am sure your father wanted me to have it.” He held his hand out to Harry for him to shake it, and Harry did. Fisk then walked out of the loft with his four bodyguards in tow._

“Maybe we should ask Peter,” Harry said finally as the memory started to fade once again. The car stopped in front of Oscorp, and Harry looked over at Ned who had nodded resolutely.

“Yeah, I think we should too.”

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

Michelle stared straight into the computer screen in front of her, the words in the court document blurring together. She couldn’t stay focused no matter how hard she tried. Every time she started reading the words on the screen, her mind would drift off, thinking of Peter’s distant act, his nightmares, his panic attack. When Tony had died right before summer started, Michelle gave Peter the distance she thought he needed. But then, he never really returned from it, and it bothered her. She wasn’t the type of girl to obsess about a boy and whether or not he liked her; But Peter was different. She had fallen in love with him, and she thought he loved her too. They had shared so much in the year they had been together, so the fact that he chose to not come to her to grieve had hurt her.

She thought about the doctor with the weird name that Peter kept mentioning every time he needed an excuse to not be alone with her. Who was this Doctor Strange? Was he really some kind of therapist? Michelle had done her research online and she couldn’t find any license in the city’s system that pulled up under that last name. She assumed he must have been another superhero, but he didn’t live at the Avengers compound, but at some place called the Sanctum Sanctorum. It sounded like a place a cult would hang out; and that made Michelle nervous. _What are you getting yourself into Peter?_ She thought worriedly.

“Hey Michelle, how’s that research going?”

The deep male voice shook her out of her contemplations. A tall, broad shouldered boy with skin slightly darker than hers, muscular arms, and a friendly smirk had taken a seat on her desk next to her.

She looked up at him with her usual aloof look. “Hey Eddie, when did you become my boss?”

Eddie’s rolled his eyes. “I’m just asking, jeez. So sensitive all the time,” He gave her a wink, and she raised an eyebrow in challenge. Brock was a freshman at NYU and a fellow intern at the ACLU. He was the Rockstar intern of the group; all-star football player at his high school, editor-in-chief of his school’s newspaper, and leader of his local Black Lives Matter chapter. He exuded confidence in all that he did, especially when talking to girls. All of the girls on the staff thought he was charming and attractive; Michelle found him to be nosy and intrusive, and although she couldn’t argue about his looks, she wasn’t about to fawn all over him. It was what he expected, and Michelle was nothing if not unexpected. “Terry just assigned me to the case you’re researching too, so I wanted to come over and see if you needed me to do anything.”

“Terry assigned you to me?” She repeated, glancing over Eddie’s shoulder at the head of Racial Justice Program for which they both interned. Terry, a robust woman with wire-rimmed glasses, colorful head wrap and a penchant for being sassy was sitting at a nearby table with some ACLU clients. She looked up at Michelle and gave her a small nod. “Well, that’s weird,” Michelle noted, looking back at her computer screen.

“I don’t know, is it? You are the fastest researcher here. And pretty smart, for a teenager,” Eddie replied.

“Aren’t you like 19?” she retorted.

“Yeah, but I mean like for a high school teenager,” Eddie corrected. Michelle rolled her eyes. “Okay, sorry, I’m coming off like a jerk, aren’t I? What do you want me to do?”

Michelle sighed. “I guess, you can look up some stuff on racial profiling cases in the county.”

“Great,” Eddie grinned. “So, how’s senior year going?”

“Oh, that wasn’t an invitation to start a friendship or anything,” she replied.

“You must be really popular at school,” Eddie fired back, but he didn’t leave. Instead, he leaned back on her desk, settling himself down.

“Well, not all of us can be star quarterbacks,” she said shrugging.

“So you do know something about me,” Eddie said, grinning wider. “You know, if you ever want to do some of this research outside of the office, I’d be up for dinner or something.”

Michelle snorted. “I bet you would.”

“What you have a boyfriend or something?”

“What, you like setting up potential sexual harassment situations or something?”

Eddie’s face reddened, and he jumped off her desk. “Hey, don’t go throwing those words around, I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

Michelle smirked, realizing she won. “racial profiling cases in the county, think you can handle that?” Eddie nodded, and started off for his own computer. Then Michelle called out, “Oh, and yes, I do have a boyfriend!”

A few eyes looked up from their own computer screens, and Eddie’s face turned a deeper scarlet. Michelle smiled, satisfied, yet felt a gnawing in her chest. _Do I even have a boyfriend anymore? And why do I care if Eddie knows that or not?_ She glanced at her phone; no text messages, just the time in a large white font: 5:30. She closed the dialogue box she had opened and shoved her phone into her back pocket. Picking up her backpack, she headed for the door.

“Michelle, where are you going?” Eddie called out.

“Dead grandma!” she shouted curtly, opening the door and heading out of the building onto the street.

She was tired of giving Peter his space. She wanted answers, and she felt like she deserved them. She pulled her phone out and opened up her Google maps. S-A-N-C-T-U-M S-A-N-C-T-O-R-U-M she typed out. _Thank God for Latin class,_ she thought. Nothing pulled up though, and she frowned. “What kind of place doesn’t have a Google location pin?!” she shouted exasperatedly, getting strange looks from people passing her on the street. She opened up her browser on her phone and typed it in the search box.

Multiple pages pulled up, including one for conspiracy theories. “Well that’s about as reliable as I’ll get,” she muttered, pulling one of the pages open. She searched through its page, reading words like _mystic arts_ , _sorcery,_ and _other dimensions_. “What the hell, Peter?” she whispered. Her eyes then caught the location _Greenwich Village_. She smiled triumphantly and texted her parents to let them know she was going over to Peter’s and was going to be home late. She had lied a lot to them over the last year, so it was second nature at this point.

She raced over to the subway station and took it to the train station to take her over the river and into Manhattan. When she finally made it to Greenwich Village, she pulled the conspiracy theory page up again. It gave a vague location, so she followed its instructions. She walked past dimly lit cafes and bars littered with students from nearby universities as the sun slowly set. She wondered if she and Peter would be sitting in one of those places next year when they headed off to college. Although, lately, the picture was looked a little lonelier for her.

She reached Bleeker Street, where the conspiracy website had said she’d be able to find this fantastical place. She walked the long street, the place’s name repeating in her mind. _Come on Sanctum Sanctorum, where are you? What do you want with my boyfriend?_

She reached the corner of Bleeker Street and Fano Place and something had told her to stop in front of a five-story brownstone with a strange circular window at the very top center of the building. She stared at the green-copper door. “This is it,” she murmured. The building was grander-looking than any of the ones around it, but something about it just screamed, conspiracy theory. She slowly took two steps up the stairs that led to the door, when it suddenly opened.

A tall man with black hair slicked back that was graying on the sides and a perfectly symmetrical goatee stepped out, his head slightly turned back to talk to his companions behind him.

“Wong, would you like to take us to China right now? We can just open a portal and,”

Michelle noticed a shorter, rounder man slip out the door behind him followed by Peter. He looked better than he did when he left school, not as pale or sickly. A sudden fury swept over her and she found herself calling out to him. “Peter?!”

The men all stopped dead on top of the stairs. The tall man with the goatee stared at her as if she was the oddest person he had ever seen in his life, which made her even angrier. The other man looked concerned and annoyed by her presence.  Peter moved around him and the other man and looked down at her in disbelief. She couldn’t tell if he was upset that she was standing there, but she knew one thing; he was certainly flummoxed.

“MJ?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, so this chapter was focused on different perspectives from Harry and Michelle. Just like the first story, their perspectives are important to the story line. Lots of random easter eggs (guesses on who BlackCatXOXO is??) We will get back to Peter in the next chapter. Sorry for the slow burn, lots of set up for the bigger conflicts ahead. Thank you for reading!!


	5. You're Not Supposed to Be Here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up guys! Doctor Strange and MJ meet :)

**_Peter’s POV_ **

He pushed Strange out of the way and raced down the stairs. “MJ, wha… what… how…”

She crossed her arms and stared at him coldly. Peter had no idea how she managed to find the Sanctum, but then again, he knew better than to doubt his girlfriend’s ability to find out information. He felt his stomach twist and flip nervously inside of him, all thoughts of food now out of the window. He found himself completely dumbstruck and could barely get any words out.

“That’s Doctor Strange I take it.” She nodded in Strange’s direction. “You don’t look like a therapist,” she called out to him.

Strange made a face. “Please, I’m a neurosurgeon. I actually fix people’s brains for a living, I don’t pretend to.”

“And you’re arrogant. So, you’re a neurosurgeon? And you live here?” MJ countered.

“Well, you can’t be too picky with real estate in Greenwich Village,” Strange mused, his eyes moving to Peter. “Mr. Parker, who is this annoyingly inquisitive and observant person?”  

Peter jumped at the sound of his name, and he realized he had been gawking at the exchange between the two instead of intercepting it. “Oh, um, this is my girlfriend, MJ. MJ, this is Doctor Strange and Wong.”

“Wong? What’s with the one name? Are you a popstar or something?” MJ retorted.

“Like Beyoncé,” Strange mused, a smile returning to his face, exchanging a glance with Wong that indicated some type of inside joke between them. Wong didn’t seem to find anything about their current situation amusing. Strange must have noticed because he stopped smiling and sighed. “Right. Well, MJ, you’ll have to excuse us, we were just about to get some dinner. After fighting off a class three demon, your appetite usually gets the better of you.”

“Class three demons!? Are you talking Dungeons and Dragons?!” She demanded, her eyes turning back to Peter.

He wiped his now sweaty palms on his jeans. “Uhh…”

Strange looked between the two of them. “I’ve said something I shouldn’t have, didn’t I? I take it you haven’t told her about what we really do.”

Peter gulped, “Uh, yeah, no, not really.”

MJ stomped her foot on the ground, surprising all the men around her. “Did you really just stomp your foot like a toddler?” Strange scoffed.

“Do I look like I really care what you think?” she snapped back. “Peter what’s going on? What is this guy talking about, demons? Are they part of the Avengers or something?”

“Avengers? No, we are not part of the Avengers,” Wong exclaimed. “We are Masters of the Mystic Arts!”

MJ’s face contorted in disbelief. “We do help the Avengers, from time to time,” Strange added. “Although, I don’t think this is a conversation that Wong and I need to be a part of…”

“Wait a minute…” MJ’s mind was searching, Peter didn’t like where this was heading.

“Okay, MJ, let’s just go back to Queens, and I’ll tell you all about these two,” Peter said quickly, grabbing her hand and starting to pull her down the steps. MJ proved to be difficult to move, as she resisted him and he didn’t want to hurt her.

“I have seen your face before,” she said, looking at Strange closer. “The day that donut spaceship came to Earth, you were on the news with…” she stopped herself, her head turning to look at Peter.

It suddenly felt as if an anvil had landed on his chest, making it hard to breath. His hands were slick with sweat and so was his brow. “Let’s just go, MJ,” he pleaded. Dust, pain, a red sky, Mr. Stark’s look of fear…

She looked back at Strange for confirmation to her assumptions. “Yes,” Strange said slowly. “I was there… that day.”

An awkward silence fell over the group, and Peter just wanted to leave. He didn’t want MJ to find out this way. He wasn’t ready, he wasn’t….

“Peter,”

He realized that he had crouched down on the ground, his head in his hands, his breath coming out in ragged gasps. Strange was walking toward him hastily, saying his name over and over again. He then felt a slender hand on his shoulder. “Peter, what’s wrong?”

He looked up at Michelle, who was standing over him that same worried look on her face as before. He stood, shakily, the images he saw in his mind slowly fading. “Yeah, I’m… I’m fine,” he said, shaking his hands out.

Doctor Strange stopped short, pursing his lips and furrowing his brow. “I think it might be time for Wong and me to go.” Peter gave him an apologetic look and nodded. “Right. Dinner another time then, Peter. Wong, let’s get to Wo Hop before it closes.”

“Wo Hop?” Michelle piped up.

“Yes, Wo Hop, I’m assuming you have an opinion on it,” Strange remarked, looking at her tiredly.

“Um, no, I just heard it’s the best place in New York for authentic Chinese,” she replied.

Strange pumped his fist in triumph. “Aha! See, Wong?! Even millennials think its great!”

“What’s a millennial?” Wong asked, looking confused.

“A millennial is…” Strange sighed. “Never mind, I’ll explain it over dinner.” He pulled his sling ring out of his pocket and slipped it onto his fingers. “Peter, I’ll see you later?” Peter gave him a confirming nod, and then Strange held out his sling ring and used his other hand to make a wide circle.

As he did, a magical portal opened up on the sidewalk that led directly to Wo Hop. Peter looked over at Michelle whose hand had fallen off his shoulder, her eyes widening. He never saw Michelle truly stunned before, so he took that moment to enjoy it a bit. “MJ it was a pleasure to meet you. I’m sure we will have many more back and forths in the future,” Strange said by way of a goodbye. “Wong?”

Wong hurried down the steps to follow Strange into the portal. Michelle and Peter watched as the portal closed behind them, a wisp of golden energy dust all that was left.

“What… the…” Michelle walked forward toward the space where the portal was. “That was…”

“Magic,” Peter answered, walking toward her. “Kind of… it’s hard to explain,” Peter said, scratching his arm nervously.

“Apparently, which is why you’ve never told me about them… or this… ever…” She crossed her arms across her chest again.

“Yeah… there just never seemed to be… uh… the right… time,” Peter said hesitantly.

“The right time? No, you’re right because you’ve been to busy being out there,” she gestured to the city, “instead of being here with me… or Ned… or Harry.”  She shook her head. “Peter, who are they? What is going on? Two days ago, you freaked out on Cindy and then today you had a full-blown panic attack in the hallway... and then there’s the fact you suggested…” she trailed off, biting her lip.

Peter wasn’t used to seeing Michelle in a vulnerable state, it was disconcerting. “I shouldn’t have said that,” he said, grabbing her hands and intertwining them with his. “I was upset, and scared, and I just… if you knew, MJ…”

“Just tell me, Peter.”

“MJ, you wouldn’t even believe me if I told you,” Peter said quietly. “It’s not your fault… Doctor Strange made it that way.”

“What?” she raised an eyebrow. “What did he do?”

Peter realized he had said too much. “Shit. Um, nothing, he didn’t do anything…”

“Peter….”

“What? I… He…. See… Um… He’s a sorcerer, right? And um… he had the…. And when he turned back… it was better this way he said… Captain America agreed… and Um…” Peter felt himself getting sweaty again. “It’s kind of complicated.”

“Doctor Strange put a magic spell on me?”

“Well, no, yes, everyone actually, except, you know those of us who…” he trailed off with a gulp. “Trust me MJ, it was for the best.”

“Who gets to decide that? Doctor Strange? Captain America? You?” She pulled away from him. “Peter, you’re not making sense.”

“I know!” Peter said maddeningly. “But I wish that I could forget it all you know?! Everything, especially right before I die….” He paused, unable to finish his thought. “dived. Right after I dived into the… thing… yeah.”

Michelle sighed. “Fine, loser, don’t tell me what’s bothering you. Just you do you, and I’ll do me.” She started walking away from him in a huff.

Peter stared after her. “You’ll do you?! Wait, what does that even mean!?” Peter shouted after her. Michelle didn’t turn around, she just held up her right middle finger as she kept walking, and Peter grimaced. “Hey!” He ran after her, picking up his backpack as he went. “MJ, wait!” She quickened her pace, but not too fast because he knew she knew that he could catch her if he wanted. “MJ, hey,” He reached for her hand, but she whirled around on him.

He had never seen Michelle so upset.  Michelle Jones, the girl who always acted like nothing bothered her; Michelle Jones, the girl with a million retorts; the girl who didn’t care what others thought of her and didn’t care much about what other people did. Yet she was standing there visibly upset all because Peter couldn’t just tell her the truth. Peter felt like the biggest idiot in the world. Peter reached for her hand and she let him take it.  

“He’s the Sorcerer Supreme,” Peter said quietly. She looked at him coolly but didn’t say anything. “He helped us fight the aliens, he and the other masters, like Wong, use their powers to fight stuff that I don’t even know if science can explain sometimes.” He grabbed her other hand, squeezing it tight. He hoped she didn’t mind that his palms were so sweaty. “I’ve been going here to train with him… Cap thought it’d be best since the compound is so far away… and Tony kind of asked him to, uh,”

“Watch over you?” Michelle finished, her eyes softening.

“Yea…yeah…. Something like that,” Peter replied, trying to blink back the tears that had formed in his eyes. “I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense…”

“Wizards? No, no way does that make sense. That’s why they only show up in fantasy stuff like Lord of the Rings,” she replied. “But him helping you, that makes sense.”

“Actually, he’s a sorcerer,” Peter corrected. Michelle raised an eyebrow. “Right, yeah, wizard, sorcerer, same thing.”

“We are all worried about you Peter,” she said, pulling her hands away and snaking them up around the back of his neck. He felt her lightly finger the curls on the back of his head and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her touch. “You can talk to us to you know.”

“I know,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, and Peter realized it had been awhile since they had actually been that close. Sure, she had come over to hang out, but they hadn’t done anything, intimately, at least. Her lips were warm and inviting, and they made his body react in a way it hadn’t in a long time. Peter could feel the giddy, young teenager in him come out once again, and he pulled her closer, pressing her body against his, wanting to feel more of her at every peck. He groaned softly as her lips parted and her tongue slipped inside his mouth, and he could taste her now, and he wanted more. He curled his fingers into her shirt, bunching it up in his fist. The She pulled away for a quick second, panting from the rising passion.

“We should do this somewhere more privately,” she whispered, slipping her hand underneath his shirt. She paused and then patted him across the stomach. “Are you wearing your suit under here?” she asked him, pulling away.

Peter blushed. “Er, yeah, I was practicing with Doctor Strange, remember? And I helped him send a demon back to another dimension.”

Michelle smiled and shook her head. “I feel like every time you talk things get weirder.”

“Funny, so do I,” Peter commented, laughing for the first time in months. Suddenly, his phone started beeping in his pocket. “Oh man, an alert.”

“Alert?” she looked at him funny.

Peter pulled his phone out. “Yeah, I configured Karen’s AI into my phone so she can alert me to anything suspicious even when I don’t have the suit turned on.” He pulled open his phone.

“What is it? Cat in a tree?”

Peter shook his head. “No, it’s not Karen… it’s Ned, actually.”

“Ned? Tell him we’re busy,” Michelle replied, rolling her eyes.

Peter turned the phone around so she could see it.  Just one word appeared in all caps on the screen.

_SOS_

They both looked at each other worriedly. “Karen,” Peter said into his phone.

“Good evening Peter,” Karen’s voice replied.

“Locate Ned’s phone for me,” he replied.

“Of course, Locating Ned Leeds’ whereabouts. Ned Leeds found.” His map app pulled up and a dot blinked on the screen.

Peter squinted to make sure he had read it right. “Where is he?” Michelle asked.

“He’s at Oscorp,” Peter replied, looking at her confused.

Michelle smacked her forehead. “The internship!”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Come on, if Ned’s in trouble, that means Harry is too.” He pulled her into the nearby alley and started undressing quickly.

“Peter, I’m not coming with you,” she said nervously. “You know I’m not a huge fan of clinging for dear life while you swing through the city.”

“But Ned, Harry! I need to – “

“Yeah, I know, you go. I’ll come slowly behind via public transportation.” She grabbed his backpack and clothes he had flung to the ground. “I’ll take this with me as collateral,” she joked.

Peter didn’t want to leave her, not after their conversation, but he couldn’t leave his two best friends hanging. “Okay, text me as soon as you get home okay!? Promise me,”

“I promise, Peter, now go!” she exclaimed.

Peter slipped his mask on and Karen said, “entering coordinates on your screen.”

“I love you!” Peter shouted, as he leapt up onto the building. he glanced back quickly to see her holding his backpack to her chest, in a possessive yet wistful way, a few of her dark curls falling out of her ponytail and around her face softening the worried look on her face. He loved that face so much. “Man, Ned, you better actually be in trouble,” He murmured as he started swinging toward Oscorp.


	6. Falling Into Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you, thank you for the comments and kudos! New chapter up - full of drama, a bit of comedy and some action thrown in for good measure!

**_Harry’s POV_ **

“Harry, the board is concerned about our continued partnership with Stark Industries.”

Harry sighed as he leaned back in his tall, leather office swiping through his Instagram feed. He hated talking to the board members, but particularly to the Chairman of the Board, Mendel Stromm. The man was an old business partner of his father’s, and he clearly took issues with Harry running the company. He tried to convince the board that Harry had no time to devote to the company, what with still being in school and all, but Pepper had stepped in to convince the board that Harry would be fine – mainly because she, along with the rest of Stark Industries would be providing support.

But that was before Tony Stark’s death.

“Mendel, what on earth is wrong about our partnership with Stark Industries.”

“Well, for one thing, it’s been months since Tony’s death…”

“So? I mean, come on Mendel. Pepper runs that place not Tony.”

“Precisely. But news reports have indicated that things have gotten… lax… around there. The woman is grieving the death of her husband, and she may not be fit to run that company,” Mendel replied slowly as if he was talking to a toddler.

Harry rolled his eyes. “I saw Pepper last week, she seemed fine…”

“And yet, their stock prices are falling, and projects are closing left and right. And while Pepper Potts runs the company, there’s not a figurehead anymore, no one helming the ship. If they continue to fall, our association with them may cause us to fall as well.”

Harry heard a squeak and looked up. The door had opened to his office, and a curvy girl with dark hair, bright eyes, and red lips poked her head in. She was smiling seductively at him. Harry grinned and held one finger up, then hit the mute button on his phone and beckoned her into the office. “Aren’t you supposed to be manning the front desk for visitors, Felicia?” he asked, turning in his chair to receive her.

Felicia slinked over to him, each movement stimulating him. He could feel his pants tighten between his legs, and he spread them for a little bit of relief. “It’s after five, how many visitors could we have?” she asked, sitting herself on top of Harry’s lap. She pressed her bottom against his groin, and Harry groaned.

“I can’t do much, Mendel, here won’t stop talking about ways to screw over my friends.”

“Friends?” she raised an eyebrow as she started tracing kisses along his neck. “Were you really friends with Stark and his wife? I thought they were more of your friend, Peter’s friends.”

Harry shrugged, “Yeah, but I owe them big.”

She started pulling on his t-shirt. “How’s that friend Peter of yours anyway,” she murmured in his ear.

“Still dating MJ,” Harry retorted, narrowing his eyes at her. She giggled.

“He’s so innocent, it’s cute.”

“I’m not innocent?” Harry said with mock shock. She leaned into him and pressed her lips against his. “Yeah, I’m not at all,” Harry said with resignation, kissing her back.

“Harry? Harry? Are you still there?” Mendel’s called out from the phone.

Harry pulled away from Felicia and motioned for her to stay quiet. “Uh,” he said taking himself off mute. “Yeah, sorry, someone walked in, had to deal with it.”

“Harry, this is important. The future of the company is at stake,”

“As it always is. You and your sky, Mendel, you always think it’s going to fall on us.” Harry sighed. “Let me think about it, at least talk to Pepper. I’m sure Tony had some type of… what do you call that thing where you make sure someone takes the leadership role is someone else leaves?”

“Succession plan,” Felicia whispered in his ear.

“Yeah! Succession plan,” Harry finished, smiling at her. “We just have to find out what it is.”

“Harry,”

“Meanwhile, let’s just lay off Pepper and Stark Industries, ‘mkay? Good, Mendel, good chat, but I’m a little busy at the moment.”

“Harry Osborn, don’t you hang up,” CLICK.

“Thank God, he was starting to sound like my dad,” Felicia commented. “Okay, where were we?”

“I think we were about to,”

“Mr. Osborn.”

Harry moaned, and turned to face his door. “I’m a little busy at the moment, can you just…” he trailed off, his voice suddenly gone from the shock of seeing who stood in front of him.

Wilson Fisk stood in his doorway with two of his associates with simple black suits. They unbuttoned their jackets so Harry could see the guns in their holsters from inside. Harry pushed Felicia off of him, and she grunted as she fell onto the floor.

“What the hell, Harry!” She exclaimed, standing up and dusting off her skirt.

“Sorry, Felicia, um, I forgot about a,”

“Business meeting,” Fisk finished, curtly nodding to her with a smile. “So sorry about interrupting your little tete-a-tete, but there is an urgent matter I must discuss with the young Osborn.” He took a commanding step forward his two guards following suit. Fisk’s large presence and small, dark eyes commanded a sense of veneration and anxiety in Felicia. She, too also noticed the guns hiding in the other two men’s jackets.

“Oh, okay, it’s time for me to go… anyway…” she rushed out of the door, barely giving Harry another glance.

Harry stood up quickly and reached for his phone. “Uh-uh, Harry, let’s put that down, shall we?” Harry froze, his hand barely touching the device. “Harry, I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

“Mr. Fisk, sir, I haven’t really had a chance to - ” He gasped as Fisk grabbed him by his throat from across the desk. “P…p..please sir…”

“Harry, I know you’re a child, but my patience wears thin eventually. Two months ago, I asked for your help in locating this Eye of Agamotto, yet here we are and I have not heard a peep from you.”

“Why … do… you… need… my… help? I… gave… the… place… the Sanctum Sanctorum. Just… go… there!” Harry exclaimed, struggling to breathe through Fisk’s strong hold.

Fisk looked at his face, which was slowly turning a deep red before letting go of him. Harry collapsed on top of the desk, catching his breath and rubbing the red marks that had formed on his neck. “Yes, you gave me a name, and unfortunately, I haven’t been able to locate it or even get close. Rumors and myths are all I can get my hands on.”

“Have you tried Google?” Harry joked lamely.

Fisk chuckled. “Harry, I know this is difficult for your young mind to comprehend, but that little device can help me make my empire the most powerful in the world. And it can bring back your mother, isn’t that what you want?”

Harry’s heart was pounding hard in his chest. He wanted more time, he needed to talk to Peter. “I, uh, I mean, it’s been so long… and…”

“Boss,” one of the men interrupted, pulling one of his guns out. “I think someone is outside the door.”

Fisk turned sharply and glared at the closed door. He nodded for them to approach the door, and they did, guns out, ready to strike. The first one opened the door up swiftly, and Harry could hear a yelp and then the guy grabbed the person on the other side of the door.

Harry watched helplessly as he pulled a frightened Ned into the room. “Found this big guy out there,” he said, throwing Ned toward Fisk. Ned stumbled, falling to his knees. “He had this in his hands too.” The guy held up Ned’s cell phone.

Fisk looked at the phone and looked at Ned. “A friend of yours Harry?”

“Yeah, he’s a friend from school. Look just let him go, okay?!”

“Hello, friend from school,” Fisk said, leering down at Ned.

“Um, hello, sir, I am so sorry, I didn’t’ mean to… I didn’t even hear anything… I definitely didn’t hear you threaten Harry or talk about some weird Eye thing…” Fisk landed a heavy kick into Ned’s stomach and he fell onto his back, clutching himself in pain. “ooohhh…” he moaned.

“It’s okay, I’m glad you did, might make this little visit easier,” Fisk replied. The guard that brought Ned in handed Fisk the phone. “Calling the cops, are we?” He threw the phone on the ground and slammed his heel into it several times, shattering it to pieces. He then pulled out his own gun and aimed it at Ned’s head. “Now, Harry, where were,”

“I don’t know anything Mr. Fisk, please!” Harry exclaimed. “Why do you want me to help you so badly?”

Fisk narrowed his eyes. “Because I think you do know more than you’re letting on, and I think you have some connections to help me find out where this Sanctum is,”

“Sanctum?” Ned piped up, but he quickly looked back down at the ground after seeing Harry shoot him a look to shut up.

Fisk looked at Harry and then at Ned. “Do you know something about this place,” He paused searching for his name.

“Ned, sir, my name is Ned,” Ned quickly said.

“Ned, what are you doing!?” Harry hissed.

“Ned, yes, can you tell me something about the Sanctum and the Eye of Agamotto?”

“Um, no sir, I don’t know anything about either one of those things, actually,” Ned replied. “Are you in a cult or something?”

Fisk sighed and cocked the hammer back on his gun. “Last chance Harry. Help me or explain to your friend’s parents why he’s not coming home alive tonight.”

Suddenly, there was a loud crash behind Harry, and he felt shattered glass from the windows rain down on him. He quickly dropped to the floor to shield himself.

“Whoa that felt so Mission Impossible!”

Harry’s head shot up and he heard Ned yell out, “Spider-Man!”

Peter was crouched down near his desk in his typical fighting pose. He looked over at Harry. “Sorry about the window.”

“Yeah, no problem, I can always get that replaced,” Harry commented nonchalantly as relief swept over him.

“Ah, your friend, the Spider-Man, we meet at last.” Fisk said, turning toward him. As he did, Peter shot out a web, yanking Fisk’s gun away from him.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too, whoever you are,” Peter said as he whipped the gun out of the hole in the window. “Should I know you or something?”

Fisk smiled and slowly backed away from Ned. “Of course, you should. You’ve been terrorizing my guys for the last two months.”

“Kingpin?” Peter asked, his mechanical eyes on his suit widening. “Funny, I thought you’d have a pinstripe suit on and wearing a bowler hat.  I’m disappointed.”

“Yes, well looks can be deceiving, you look like I could break you like a twig, but then again, we all know that’s not true…. Or is it?” He ducked down as his two guys started shooting their guns at Peter. Ned shrieked and started crawling commando-style toward the desk.

Peter leapt up and dodge the bullets as they came flying at him, his body tingling as he could sense each bullet coming at him. As he dodged one, he sent a web grenade flying at one of the guards, and it landed on his chest exploding him back against the wall. The other one reached down to pick up his gun, but Peter was quicker, flipping toward him and knocking the gun away before kicking the other man with his feet.

He fell backward letting off one last shot of his gun. Peter could sense it heading in Ned and Harry’s direction and in a quick-thinking action, used his webs to grab the coffee table to his left and swing it all the way across the room in their direction. The bullet hit the table and it landed with a thud on top of the desk.

Peter turned his attention back to the Fisk and his two associates. “Looks like you’re out of bullets,” Peter said smugly. “Now, what are you doing here?”

Fisk grinned. “Ah, I think, that should be for another time.” He looked over Peter’s shoulder and straight at Harry. His eyes were wild with anger and delight, which terrified Harry deep to his core. _What kind of man enjoys this chaos?_ He thought. “You can’t have Spider-Man around all the time, Mr. Osborn.”

Fisk, then pulled something out of his pocket and flicked it toward Peter. “So, you wanted some Mission Impossible, you said?” He jested as Peter looked down at the object. Fisk and his two associates went through the door and Peter looked back up.

“Oh shit, they’re getting away!” He exclaimed, as he started after them.

“No, Peter, it’s okay, just leave it,” Harry called out, stopping Peter in his tracks. He didn’t want Peter going after Fisk because he knew that Fisk would tell him everything and he didn’t want Fisk to be the first to do so.

“Harry, the guy threatened you and almost killed Ned! I think I kinda have to go after him!” Peter exclaimed, pulling his mask off to look at his two friends. “Plus, he’s the guy causing all the problems in the city right now. I mean, I don’t believe in fate, but I feel like she’s throwing me a bone for once,”

“Hey, um, why is that weird blue ball pulsating and glowing?” Ned asked, interrupting him.

They all looked down at the device that Fisk had thrown. Harry’s eyes widened. “Oh shit,” he said.

“Oh shit,” Peter repeated, shoving his mask back on. “Okay, you two need to jump now.”

“Jump where!?” Ned asked, nearly shouting. Peter pointed to the broken window. “Out there!? Dude are you insane?!”

“Probably, but this is not the time to debate that, we gotta go,” Harry could hear the click just as loud as Peter could and he started for the window. “NOW!” Peter grabbed Ned’s shirt collar and hoisted him in the air as if he weighed nearly nothing.

The device detonated, emitting a loud ear-splitting noise followed by a louder thunderous one that accompanied an explosion that they could all feel as Peter pushed them both out of the window.

Harry could hear Ned screaming near him, but his own lungs hurt from the sudden rush of air coming into them, and he could barely breathe let alone scream. He fell, facing up and could see the fires and smoke that shot out of his office window. He wondered what it would feel like when he hit the ground. He wondered if he’d see his mother again sooner than he thought.

**_Peter’s POV_ **

Peter lunged out of the window spreading his arms and legs wide steadying himself on the wind. _Okay, gotta get Ned and Harry safely away from the blast and make sure they both don’t hit the ground and die. I can do this._

“Hey Karen!?” Peter called out to his AI.

“Yes, Peter?”

“We need to save Ned and Harry, ideas?” His virtual screen appeared and a digital map outlining angles and curves appeared. Peter studied it for a brief second. “Thanks Karen!”

“Anytime Peter.”

He used his webs to grab Harry first because he didn’t seem to be falling as fast as Ned. Harry was facing Peter, eyes closed, as if he had resigned himself to falling to his death. “Nope, not on my watch Harry,” Peter muttered, using the web to pull himself toward Harry. He grabbed hold of Harry, who opened his eyes.

“Pete!” He shouted.

“Yeah, hold on, this won’t be a soft landing!” Peter shouted and he flung Harry toward the side of the building and shot out two webs that encased Harry against it.

“What the!?”

“I’ll come back for you!” Peter shouted, repositioning his body as a torpedo and heading straight for Ned. “Hey, care to slow down a bit?!” He joked, as he fell in-line with Ned.

“It’s my mass, I’m too heavy!” Ned shouted back. “Peter!!!!”

Peter grabbed Ned’s hand and using his own strength, flung him toward an awning on top of a deli near the bottom of the building. Ned fell into the awning and Peter landed on the ground, rushing over to catch Ned before his body hit the ground. The sheer weight of the Ned’s body collapsing onto his arms made Peter stumble. “Whoa there, buddy, you’re all right,” Peter said, as Ned rolled off of him and stood up.

“That was amazing!” Ned shouted, throwing a fist in the air. “Wait, where’s Harry?”

“PEEETTTEERRR!! Get me down!!!” Harry shouted from the wall of the opposite building.

Ned and Peter looked up at him cocooned in Peter’s webbing. “Oh, there he is,” Ned said, pointing up.

Peter jumped onto the side of the building and crawled up it toward Harry. He tore the webbing from the side of the building. “Grab onto me Harry!” Peter called out to him. Harry looked down at the ground below and started shaking. “Harry, come on, man, we gotta get out of here,” Peter pleaded, reaching to his friend as he pulled the last strand of webbing off of Harry. Harry’s body fell forward and Peter caught him. “Wow, Harry, I think this is a new level of our friendship,” Peter joked, and he released a web to swing down to the ground.

“Peter, are you seriously joking right now?!” Harry exclaimed, his teeth chattering from fear as they landed on the ground near Ned.

“Uh, yeah, call it a coping mechanism,” Peter replied. He looked up at the building which was smoking and burning from the gaping hole of Harry’s office. “So, you have insurance, right?”

Harry and Ned both looked up. “Yeah, plenty of it. We should get out of here.”

They could hear sirens start to wail and people on the street had stopped to stare at the fiery blaze atop Oscorp Tower. “Good idea,” Ned said.

“MJ is back at my place, let’s go there,” Peter replied.

“I’m not riding on your back,” Harry quickly said, staring at him in disbelief.

Peter shook his head. “No, I can’t carry both of you anyway. I’ll meet you there. Then we can talk about why Kingpin was at your office.” Something crossed Harry’s face so quickly that Peter almost missed it. Almost. Harry may not have wanted to be like his father, but he couldn’t deny that he had developed some of his father’s traits – like that of hiding and lying. “Hey Karen, can you call an Uber for these two?”

“Calling for an Uber now.”

“I’ll see you guys in a few!” Peter shouted, and he swung off as the crowd started to grow and the firetrucks turned onto the street.

 _So that was Kingpin_ , he thought as he traveled between buildings to his aunt’s apartment in Queens. He had expected to meet him eventually, but not in Harry’s office. His mind started to whirl with the possibilities of why Kingpin was there. _Okay, A. Harry’s gone bad like his father and is working with criminals now_. Peter shook his head. _No that wasn’t possible, right? Okay, B. this has something to do with his father and its a past-coming-back-to-haunt-you situation._ He preferred to think that the latter was true.

Regardless, it left Peter feeling guilty. He hadn’t really spent a lot of time with Harry, or Ned and Michelle for that matter, over the last few months, and so Harry may never had gotten the chance to tell Peter about this. _I am so stupid,_ Peter thought as he landed on the roof of his apartment building. _I’m moping around because of Tony, because of… what happened… and I should be focusing on my friends!_

He slipped into his bedroom window and found MJ sitting at his desk, watching a live feed of one of the news stations on her phone. She looked up as he entered.

“So, something bad was happening,” she stated plainly, holding the phone out so he could see the live feed of firemen trying to put out the explosive fire.

Peter pulled his mask off and undid his suit. “Yeah, something did,” he replied, stepping out of his suit and throwing it into his laundry basket. It smelled like ash. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a baggy sweatshirt and pajama pants. “Kingpin was there.”

MJ raised an eyebrow. “Kingpin? The mobster?”

Peter nodded and sat down on his bed, falling back onto it. “Yeah, he was threatening to kill Harry and Ned. I’m not sure why, but he had guys with him and guns, and yeah…”

“Peter?” Peter and MJ looked up as Aunt May poked her head through the door. She looked uncertain as she glanced around the room to catch his eye. Peter had forgotten how much distance he had put between himself and Aunt May after the bout with Thanos too, and he felt that guilt start piling on again. It had been ages since the two of them actually talked about anything. She tried after Tony’s death, but Peter couldn’t, and eventually he pushed her away. He didn’t blame her for looking so out of place in his room. “Um, Ned and Harry are here, honey.”

She pushed the door open and his two friends made their way into the room. “Thanks May!” Ned exclaimed, holding up the bag of chips that she must have given him. She watched them all for a second, a small smile creeping over her face.

“It’s good to see you all over here,” she said, her eyes meeting Peter’s. He looked away abashed. “Well, I’ll let you four get to it then. Ned, don’t eat all of those chips. Your mother will never let me hear the end of it.”

“Will do!” Ned said, his mouth full of chips.

“Hey give me some of those,” Harry muttered, greedily stuffing his hand into the bag.

After May closed the door, Peter stood up and faced them. “Okay, can someone please tell me what’s going on? Why did I have to come save you from the Kingpin?”

Harry glanced at Ned, who quickly shoved more chips into his mouth. “It’s not me, I swear, Pete. It’s my dad.” He paused, and Peter could feel his frustration growing. “I guess he and my dad worked together before he died and he’s trying to come back and use me for information from my dad.”

“What information?” Peter asked. “Was your dad making him weapons or something?”

Harry looked down at his hands. “I… uh…”

“Come on Harry, you can’t keep this from me,” Peter sighed, rubbing his temples.

Harry’s eyes shot up and his nervous look changed to one of anger. “Oh what, you can keep secrets from us, but we can’t keep secrets from you? Your _super powers_ make you better than us or something?”

Peter was taken aback. “What? No, that’s not… and it’s different. What I’m going through and you working with bad guys is not the same thing.”

“Is it though?” Ned piped up. Peter looked over at his best friend, who winced at his caustic look. “Sorry, Peter, but I kind of agree with Harry on this one. I mean you’ve cut us out all summer, and now you want to start talking to us when its convenient for you?”

“Ned, come on, man,”

“Peter,” MJ stepped forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. “This is what I was talking about.”

Peter backed away. “Wait, hold on, how the hell did this become about me!? Kingpin was hanging out in your office tonight, Harry, not mine. And whatever’s going on with me, it’s not as important as catching Kingpin! He’s already done a lot of damage in Hell’s Kitchen, and he’s not setting up shop here!” His voice got louder, his plea whinier like a wounded animal cornered.

“Because you’re accusing me of, what working against you? Is that still what you think of me, Pete? But I guess I wouldn’t know what you think because you don’t even bother to tell anyone anything anymore!” Harry exclaimed his voice rising.

“Okay, Harry, maybe we need to,” MJ reached for him, but Harry swatted her hand away.

“No, come on Pete, say it. Say you don’t trust me.”

Peter narrowed his eyes at Harry. “Stop it, Harry, that’s not…”

“It’s not?! You don’t trust me, you don’t trust MJ, you don’t trust Ned… apparently the only person you trust is some weird doctor, who doesn’t even know you!”

“Harry, stop,” MJ demanded, grabbing his shirt. Harry stormed up to Peter, and although he was slightly taller than he was, everyone in the room knew that Peter could lay him out flat. They stood their nose-to-nose in a huffed silence.

“You don’t know anything about that Harry,” Peter said quietly, almost threateningly. “So, you better stop talking about it right now.”

“Oh, now you don’t want me to talk?” Harry said. “Come on Pete, if you really want to find out what I know, be Spider-Man and get the information out of me.” He pressed his chest against him.

“O…. Kay… guys, I think this is kind of getting out of hand,” Ned spoke up, standing up and moving near them.

“No, it’s not, it’s just what the three of us have been wanting to say to Peter for the last three months. I’m just the only one who has the guts to say it,” Harry replied.

“Or the only one who’s trying to deflect from the real issue,” Peter retorted.

Just then, a loud knock came from his door. “Peter?” It was May again.

“Not now, Aunt May, we’re kind of in the middle of,”

“Someone is here to see you,” she said.

The four of them all exchanged confused glances, and May’s announcement caught them all off guard. “Who’s here?” Peter asked.

May opened the door then and a stocky man in a black suit with a clean-shavened face and dark hair with a slightly receding hair line stepped into the room. Peter could feel that familiar sense of the brick on his chest. “Happy?”

Happy Hogan stepped into the room, his hands in his pockets standing in an awkward manner. “Hey kid, how’s it going?”

Peter hadn’t seen Happy in months, not since Tony’s funeral. Seeing him was almost like seeing Tony alive again. It threw him completely out of the moment. “Ha…. Hey, Happy, it’s… I’m… I’m good… I’m good.” He paused. “Um, what are you doing here?”

Happy walked over to him and pulled something out of his pocket. He handed it to Peter, who looked down at it getting more confused. “Tony’s lawyer,” Happy explained. Peter turned the card over and saw a date, two weeks from that day and a time. “Pep’s finally ready to uh… well she was finally ready to go over the will, and now that she has, she’s asked everyone to be there, who uh, Tony mentions in it.”

Peter realized his whole body was shaking as MJ took his hand to calm him. “I… uh… what?” He heard Happy’s words but they sounded like they were coming from a tunnel and he could barely process them.

“Pepper wants you to come to the compound in two weeks. They’re going to go over Tony’s will and there’s some stuff in there for you,” Happy explained. Peter didn’t respond. He heard Happy’s words more clearly, but he was still having trouble comprehending them. “I hope you can make it,” Happy added. “I think it’d be nice for Pepper to see you. She and Tony always thought of you as a…” he trailed off staring at Peter. “Are you okay, kid?”

Peter’s eyes were brimming with tears, and he started feeling lightheaded. “I, uh… yeah,” he said quickly wiping them away. “I’ll, uh, I’ll be there Happy.”

“Good, I’ll have a car come around here to pick you up around noon, if that’s okay,” he looked at Aunt May, who nodded overenthusiastically.

“Of course, it is, I’ll make sure Peter’s ready,” she replied.

Happy nodded back to her and then stepped closer to Peter. “It’s good seeing you, Peter,” he said laying a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve been keeping tabs on your activities. Doing good work out there. Mr. Stark would be proud.”

“Th…thanks, Happy…” Peter said quietly, lowering his head.

The room was thick with silence. Happy could sense the awkwardness and decided it was time for him to go. “I’m going to get going then,”

“Of course, let me walk you out,” May quickly said, ushering him out of the bedroom and closing the door behind them.

Peter stood there, staring at the card in his trembling hand.

“Pete,” Harry started, his voice softer, more delicate than it was earlier.

Peter turned around and walked over to his bed. “Doesn’t matter right now, Harry. I just… I just need to be alone.”

He could hear his friends all whispering and shuffling about and heard his door open. Harry and Ned’s good byes echoed in his head as he sat down on his bed, his thoughts riddled with grief.

“Peter?” He looked up and saw MJ standing over him.

“I’m sorry, MJ,” he whispered, “I can’t…”

She nodded. “I know. I love you,” she replied, bending down to kiss the curls forming on the top of his head from the humidity in the room.

Peter stayed there, sitting for a while, thinking about many things; he thought about Harry and his connection to Kingpin. He thought about his panic attacks; he thought about MJ and her desire to be closer to him; he thought about Tony and his sacrifice; and it made him think about his own dea… he couldn’t even say it in his own head. His thoughts quickly turned to the card and what Happy had said. _Why the hell am I in Tony’s will? What is he going to give me, a bunch of Spider-Man suits?_ He thought, as the idea that he meant enough to Tony that he’d be in his will an absurd one. He didn’t know, but this new revelation certainly wasn’t going to help Peter’s sleeping situation that night.


	7. From Within It Comes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys! Memorial Day Weekend got super busy fast! Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

**_Peter’s POV_ **

“So you’re coming too?” Peter was sitting on top of one of the tables in Doctor Strange’s library, eating a sub he got from Delmar’s. It had been a couple of days after Happy had come to visit him, and Peter decided he needed to see Doctor Strange. Maybe not to talk, but at least to train, get his mind off everything.

Harry, Ned, and MJ had been distant since Happy’s visit. Ned seemed too afraid to speak to Harry, MJ too pensive, and Harry too angry. He should have apologized to all of them, but frankly, he was glad that they weren’t all over him, asking questions to make him relive all of his horrible memories. He went to school, fought some petty criminals and came home and stayed up, working on his suit or scrolling through YouTube for Spider-Man videos. He still wondered what Harry was hiding, but he was so drained, emotionally from their fight that he didn’t have the heart to ask him again. Besides, Kingpin’s activities seemed to slow down since the explosion, so Peter figured he was keeping a low profile since Peter now knew who he was.

“Yes, apparently, Tony put something in there for me as well,” Doctor Strange replied, as he perused the Book of Cagliostro. Peter kept eyeing the large book with interest. There was something about it that seemed to call to him, and he wasn’t sure why. “I’m sure he just bequeathed me his beard trimmers or some nonsense,” Strange added, glancing up at Peter.

Peter let out a low laugh. “You two do have some great goatees,” he replied. “Or well, he did… I mean… um… I don’t think I will ever grown facial hair like that.”

“Never say never, Mr. Parker. There are some spells to help with hair growth somewhere in here. Although, you need to be careful. The warnings usually come after the spells. Wouldn’t want you to start growing hair out of your hands…. Or other less appealing body parts.” He raised an eyebrow suggestively at Peter, who blushed.

“I’m good, facial hair is overrated,” Peter replied, looking around the table he sat on. “Whoa! Is this a real hand!?” He leaned over and grabbed a slender, graying hand, whose skin looked decayed. It was contorted in a strange way, as if it was trying to clutch something. Strange’s cloak slapped the hand out of Peter’s grasp. “Hey Cloaky, what’s the deal!?” He exclaimed, using the pet name he made up for the Cloak of Levitation.

“That’s the Hand of Vishanti,” Strange said stonily. “And unless you’re trying to locate someone using the Astral Plane, I suggest you don’t touch it.”

Peter frowned. “I can’t touch anything in this place,” He whined.

“Because this place wasn’t made for children,” Strange replied his finger and eyes tracing the page before him. “Yes, there it is,” he muttered.

“I’m not a child! I’m seventeen years old!” Peter huffed. “Plus, after everything that we’ve been through, can you really say that?”

Strange looked up at him for the first time. He had a look of compassion, a rare look for him, one he only seemed to give Peter. “You’re right, Peter. You’ve dealt with more than any boy your age should… but you’re still not an adult. Not yet. Something, I think you’re beginning to forget.”

Peter looked at him oddly. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re little domestic dispute outside my Sanctum the other night,” Strange replied. Peter reddened with embarrassment. “You can’t cut yourself off your friends, Mr. Parker. Trust me, I did that for many years, and right now, you need those people in your life. You should be spending time with them, studying, playing… with your Sega? Do kids still play that today?”

“Uh… no… How can I talk to them about everything though? I mean, they will think I’m crazy, it’s not like they remember what happened.”

Strange nodded. “True, they don’t. But they’re your friends, and I think they’d believe you if you told them regardless.” He sighed and closed the book. “Peter, I’ve been thinking about this and I want to ask you; When you ‘died,’ what did it feel like?”

Peter looked down at his Spider-Man mask and thumbed the white eyes of it. “It was painful. At first, I felt the weird tingling sensation I get whenever danger is nearby, my spider senses, but dialed up way past their usual extremes and it made my muscles ache, and my stomach lurch and then all I could feel was… pain… a lot of pain… and my body didn’t know what was going on.”

Strange nodded. “I had read some of Stark’s files on you after everything happened,” he said quietly. Peter looked up surprised. “Hey, I had to know what I was dealing with. Me and teenagers, that is not usually a good mix.” Peter scoffed. “It said you have accelerated regeneration, that your body heals quickly…” he paused, trying to choose his words carefully. “When I had ‘died’ I didn’t feel much, my stomach felt like I had butterflies in it, but no pain. I think the reason you experienced so much pain was that your body was trying to heal you, even though it would not succeed. In addition, your sixth sense, as it were tried to warn you, setting off an alarm that I would akin to a tornado siren. Loud and unbearable, but inside your body.”

Peter grunted. “So, my powers worked against me, great,” Peter muttered.

“I wouldn’t say that, they just made it worse, for you.”

Peter had a small burning feeling in the back of his mind that that was what made his death so unique to the others, but he tried not to think about it; because thinking about it made him feel light-headed, and sweaty and weak and….

“Peter, take a breath,” Doctor Strange ordered, placing his hands on his shoulders. “I think this may be one of the reasons you have been having these panic attacks.”

Peter tried to focus on Strange’s face, the graying sides of his hair, the perfectly coifed goatee, the ridiculous way his cloak collar stood up. “Not Tony’s death?”

“Well, that’s part of it too, but Peter, not many people die and come back to life.”

“But you’re fine, and King T’Challa seems okay, and what about those weird Guardians, and….”

“Okay, we can go on and on all day about all the Avengers that died that day,” Strange sighed. “But it’s different. We’re all older, we’ve been through a lot and understand what dying means.”

“I know what it means, I’m not ten,” Peter said, feeling hurt.

“You’re not, but you haven’t killed either, you haven’t seen your friends die, until now. And you’re only 17.”

Peter always hated when people brought up his age. It reminded him of how naïve he was, and how right Tony was that he should have stayed back in New York and never stowed away on Thanos’ ship. It made him full of guilt that he was the reason things didn’t succeed because he wasn’t prepared enough he wasn’t strong enough or wise enough to help defeat Thanos. _I should just stick to bike thiefs_ , he thought bitterly.

“Peter, you still with me?” Strange asked, his cloak waving its edge in front of his face.

Peter’s eyes refocused. “Yeah, sorry, just thinking.”

Strange smirked. “An unfortunate trait of smart men… I should know.” He gave Peter a wink.

The door to the library opened, and Wong stuck his head through. “Strange, did you find the spell?”

Strange’s eyes lit up as he remembered why he was looking through the Book of Cagliostro before he and Peter started talking. “Yes, I did,” he looked back at Peter. “Try not to touch anything while I’m gone, okay?”

Peter jumped off the table. “Wait, where are you going? What about our training?”

“There’s something I need to take care of first, as Sorcerer Supreme,” Strange replied, walking toward Wong.

“Is it something I can help with?” Peter asked hopefully, dreading the idea of waiting around.

“No, this is something magical and I need my full concentration,” he replied. “There’s plenty of books in there, why don’t you enlighten yourself?” He gave Peter a smirk before shutting the library door behind him.

“Enlighten myself,” Peter muttered.

He studied science, not magic, and that was all that was around him. When he first started coming around, Strange told him to open his mind, that not everything can be explained by science. Peter had thought that was rich coming from a former neurosurgeon, but he didn’t argue with him.  He walked over to the book shelves and started rummaging through them. Every book on the shelves had some weird proper name that Peter could barely pronounce. _I bet MJ would love this place though_ , he thought, a smile forming on his face as he thought about his girlfriend who enjoyed reading. He thought he might try to find something for her to read in there, a peace offering for being so distant lately.

The whispers were what caught him off guard first. Peter was about to pick up a book on something call the mirror dimension, when he heard them, soft and subtle all around him. Peter put the book back and turned around slowly. “Uh… hello?!” He called out, his eyes searching the library for the voices.

The whispers grew, but they weren’t all around him anymore, they seemed to be coming from the Book of Cagliostro that Strange was looking through before. Peter glanced at the door to see if Doctor Strange was coming into the library. _Okay, Peter, this isn’t a good idea,_ he thought looking back at the book. He saw enough movies to know that a book whispering to you meant trouble. _But why is it whispering?_ His curious mind wondered, and he ran his hand over its cover.

“ _Malā'ī jāna dē'u,”_ the voice uttered from the pages. Peter felt an eerie presence descend upon the room and could feel the base of his brain start to tingle.

 _See, Peter? Even your body is telling you this is a bad idea!_ He shouted at himself, yet, some invisible force seemed to pull his body and his hand toward the book. He slowly opened it up, and the voice started growing louder.

“ _Patrusa ā'unuhōs, yō hō_ ,” it urged on, and Peter’s fingers seemed to take on a mind of their own, flipping through the pages quickly, as if he knew exactly what he was looking for. The voice continued to rise the closer Peter’s fingers got to the page it wanted him to find.

The crescendo halted as Peter’s fingers stopped somewhere in the middle of the book. Peter looked down at the book, his eyes studying the Eastern lettering on the pages in front of him.

“Read it, Peter.” Peter’s eyes darted up and he felt his breath stop suddenly. The older man stood right on the other side of the book a grim grin on his goatee-covered face. He was wearing a dark blue, almost black, track suit, which was covered in a red-orange dust and blood. It was just as he looked the day Peter died. The sudden presence of him had frozen Peter to the spot he stood, making his entire body tremble.

“M…M..Mr. S…Stark?” he stammered questioningly, staring into the eyes of his dead mentor.

“Come on, kid, what are you waiting for? Go on, read it,” Tony replied, gesturing toward the book.

“I…I… how… I mean… I don’t know what it says.” Peter wanted to reach out and touch him, but something held him back – a thought that told him that if he tried, Tony would disappear. Peter didn’t want him to disappear.

“Sure you do,” Tony encouraged him. “You’re just as smart as I am. You can figure it out.”

“Why are you here?” Peter whispered, the sting of fresh tears in his eyes causing his hand to brush them away quickly.

Tony’s hands reached out and rested on top of Peter’s. He could feel their weight, the roughness of his skin from all his nights tinkering with his tech, the grittiness of the dust particles that covering them. “I’m the Ghost of Christmas Past, kid,” he said, his lips curling into a snarl, his fingers tightening around Peter’s. Peter stared at him in horror as his smile started to elongate and open wider, his teeth sharpening to points.

“Nooo!” Peter exclaimed, trying to pull away, but unable to do so. Tony’s nails were gripping his skin, puncturing it, making Peter cry out in agony.

“ _Yasalā'ī ahilē paḍhnuhōs!_ ” Tony’s newly mangled mouth shouted at him as a bright green light emitted from the pages of the book.

Peter cried out in pain as he felt the light wash over him. He could hear the echoes of that same foreign language that he had never heard before as his body buckled from the pressure of the light’s force and Tony’s fingers that had bore through his hands, creating a bloody mess. All around him, he could hear the same whispers he had heard in his dreams.

_Failure_

_Worthless_

_Weak_

And then a new one…. _It should have been you_

Tony was now towering over him, his whole body contorted and stretched as if he had no more bones in his body. His eyes were black as coal, his teeth gleaming in the darkness around them. “ _It should have been you, Peter_ ,” he hissed, and he started to reel back as if to strike.  

 _This is it_ , Peter thought as he felt his body start to crumble to the ground. _This is where I actually die_. He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. He watched helplessly as the monster that was his mentor came down on him to feast on his body…

“Peter, Peter… Wake up.”

The voice sounded distant and far away from him. Peter could feel his limbs come alive, and he was acutely aware of the fact that he was damp with sweat in the most uncomfortable places. He tried to speak to the person calling out for him, but what came out was a weird murmur.

“Jesus Christ, Peter, wake up!” two hands had grabbed hold of his shoulders and pulled him up into a sitting position.

Peter opened his eyes slowly, moaning as he could start to feel the aches and pains from… from what? He wasn’t sure what had happened. His vision started to clear and he found himself face to face with a very perturbed Doctor Strange. Strange was crouched down in front of him, his hands firmly on Peter’s shoulders. _How did I end up on the floor_? He thought, his eyes slowly taking in his surroundings. He looked over to his right and noticed that the Book of Cagliostro was laying on the floor, bound shut. _How did that get on the floor? Did I knock it over?_

“Mmmm, hey Doc, what… what happened?” he moaned, his hand massaging the ache in his neck.

Strange took his hands off his shoulders and stood up looking at him with even more unease than before. “What are you talking about? I don’t know. I just came in here a few seconds ago and you were lying unconscious on the floor! Did you have a panic attack?”

Peter slowly got to his feet. “Uh, I don’t know, actually. I was just hanging around here, waiting for you and then next thing I know I….” he trailed off, his eyes looking back at the Book.

Strange caught him looking at it, and he stooped down to pick it up. “Did you touch this Peter?”

Peter gave him the most convincing look of innocence he could muster. “No, I didn’t. I must have knocked into it or something when I fell over.”

“Yeah? So why am I having trouble believing you?” Strange replied, crossing his arms and looking grim.

“Because you have a general lack of distrust for all people?” Peter replied humorously. Strange rolled his eyes. “I promise you, Doctor Strange, I didn’t touch it. Swear.”

“What’s going on?” Wong stepped into the library and surveyed the scene before him. “I heard shrieking.”

“Shrieking?” Strange replied incredulously. “No, not… I wasn’t… I found Peter unconscious when I came in here and the Book of Cagliostro was laying on the floor next to him.”

Wong’s eyes widened. “What did you do!?” he said, stalking over to Peter and grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Hey!” Peter exclaimed.

“The Book of Cagliostro is not to be tampered with by untrained minds,” Wong reprimanded. “You could unleash a demon or alter reality!”

“Haven’t we done that already?” Peter joked, but Wong and Strange weren’t amused. “Sorry,” Peter mumbled. “Look, seriously, I don’t remember touching the book, okay? I think I just had a panic attack or something and knocked it over, geez!” Peter walked over to his backpack and snatched it up. “I…I…. should get going.”

Strange stepped in front of him, blocking his exit. “What about your training session?”

Peter pushed around him and pulled his mask on over his head. “W…. we can reschedule! Later!” He raced through the library doors and out the front door of the Sanctum as fast as he could before Strange changed his mind and followed him.

Peter jumped up onto the nearest building and climbed up its side to the top. “Hey Karen, what’s going on tonight?” Peter asked his AI, looking out toward the direction of Queens. Now that fall was upon them, the nights started earlier, and it meant that Peter’s job started earlier.

“Well, Peter, I haven’t tracked much activity so far this evening, but…” she paused. “Hold on, an alarm at a building off of 73rd Avenue was just tripped.”

That peaked Peter’s interest. “What building is it?”

“A Santander corporate office.”

“That’s a bank, right?!”

“Yes, it’s a bank from Spain that servers primarily the Northeast of the United States. They handle banking, credit cards, investments,”

“Okay, okay, I don’t need a history lesson on them,” Peter grumbled, taking off toward the coordinates she provided.

As he swung through the air, he thought about how he had kind of lied to Doctor Strange and Wong. He could vaguely recall looking at the book, but the rest of the memory was blurry. He thought he saw Tony, but that couldn’t have been right because Tony was dead; and he thought Tony had hurt him, but when he awoke, he checked out his hands and they looked fine. Whatever happened, Peter had to chalk it up to some type of panic attack. It was the only thing that made sense. _But, when you’re in the Sanctum Sanctorum, when does anything make sense?_ He thought.

He arrived at the tall white building with bright red lettering on the top of it: SANTANDER. “Okay, Karen, let’s do some recon.” His little drone spider detached from the center of his suit and started scanning the building while Peter started crawling down the side of it. He could feel that familiar tingle at the base of his brain that spread out toward the rest of his body. Something was definitely wrong, and he needed to find out what.

An alert popped up on his virtual screen. It came from his spider-drone. It had found a way inside and was now perched in an obscured place on the ceiling, looking down at a most disturbing scene before it.

“Okay, Mr. Gerald, I don’t like doing this, as blood used to make me queasy,” Fisk drawled as he bent over a balding man tied to a chair in the middle of the office space, the light of one of his goons’ flashlights barely illuminating them both.

“P…P…Please Mr. Fisk, I don’t know anything about the Stark shares,” the man stammered. “I….I… only k…know that he does have a beneficiary for them….AAAHHHH!” He cried out as Fisk slowly dug a knife into his shoulder.

“I just don’t believe you,” Fisk replied coolly. “You do work on investments with Stark Industries board do you not? You must have been privy to Mrs. Stark’s business decisions.”

“It’s Potts…. AAARGGH PLEASE!” Mr. Gerald cried out as Fisk dug the knife deeper.

“Ouch, I’d hate to pull that out,” Mr. Fisk murmured, “Could be deadly.” He stared the man down. “Now tell me, who are the shares promised to?”

Peter glowered as he watched the scene before him. “Kingpin,” he muttered, staring at the screen. “What does he want with Stark Industries? Does he honestly think that he can take over? Pepper runs that place.”

“Actually, Mr. Stark owned the majority of the shares. With his death, those shares are now being held for whomever he names.”

“What?! It’s Pepper though right, he gave them to Pepper?”

“I do not know,” Karen answered. “I am not privy to Mr. Stark’s systems anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter, Fisk can’t get them, right?”

“His criminal enterprise is worth millions, and he has enough “influence” to convince the right people to sell their shares to him. If he can’t get a hold of Mr. Stark’s he may go that route,” Karen replied.

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Peter murmured, using his strength to pull a window down for him to crawl through. He headed toward the 8th floor where Kingpin had the investment banker held captive.

When he reached the office area where they were at, he paused to see if there was a guard outside of the door. A man in a leather jacket with a military-grade assault rifle was standing in front of the door, which was slightly ajar. Peter took a deep breath and angled himself around the wall enough to shoot a web out that hit the man straight in the mouth. He nearly dropped the gun, but Peter leapt down and stole it from him using his webs.

“Nuh-uh, let’s not make a lot of loud noises, okay?” he whispered to the man who stared at him with disbelief. He turned to run into the room, but Peter lunged at him and put him in a chokehold. “Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep,” He chanted softly, using his strength to knock the man out. When he went limp in Peter’s arms, he set him down against the wall, and slowly opened the door.

He could see the scene before him clearly now – three other guards and Mr. Fisk circled around the poor investment banker, Mr. Gerald. Peter crouched low and slipped inside, making sure the door didn’t slam shut behind him. He hid among the shadows of the cubicles, sneaking and slipping around them to get closer.

“You’d have to find his lawyers or Miss Potts,” Mr. Gerald whimpered. “They are the only ones who have seen his will, the only ones who have access to that information.”

Fisk sighed. “Well, that’s a shame… for you. I was really hoping you’d be more useful. Oh well – looks like I’ll have to find another way to get those shares.” He started to pull the knife out, when Peter leapt from his hiding spot, knocking one of his guards down and landing a straight kick right into Fisk’s side. It made Fisk stumble a bit, loosening his grip on the knife. Peter landed in a crouch in front of Mr. Gerald.

“You’re never getting your hands on Mr. Starks’ company,” Peter growled, readying himself for an attack.

Fisk stood up and looked at him with a simper. “Well, well, if it isn’t the little spider. Such a coincidence that we should run into each other in just a matter of days.”

“I’d like to think of it more as fate,” Peter replied. “Why do you want Mr. Stark’s shares?”

Fisk smiled. “Oh yes, because I’m going to reveal my evil plot to you right now,” he rolled up his sleeves. “You’re incredibly naïve Spider-Man.” He motioned for his guards to move in and they came at Peter, fists and knives bare.

Peter jumped up ready to take them off. He fended off a punch here, used a web to yank a knife away there, and whipped around one with his webs and hit him square in the chest with his feet. Then Fisk came in with a sucker punch, hitting Peter right in the head. Peter stumbled, catching himself. “What the hell?” he exclaimed, turning just in time to see another punch heading his way. Peter flipped over Mr. Fisk and shot a web out at his feet, pulling them out from under him.

“Get him!” Fisk shouted, as his guards recovered and started in on Peter.

“Oh Shit!” Peter shouted, as the three pulled out their guns and started shooting. Peter’s head was still ringing from that punch, and he thought he had started hallucinating.

Right behind one of the guys stood a shadowy figure, eyes bright in the darkness. It came up behind the man, and nearly missed a bullet as he realized who the figure was.

 _“Worthless,_ ” the figure of his dead father hissed, his eyes glowing a terrible red.

“What?” Peter gasped, as he found himself in hand-to-hand combat with another guard. He could feel someone coming up behind him, and Peter used the guard in front of him as leverage to flip over and knock the other one out behind him with his feet.

 _“Failure,”_ Came another voice from behind him. Peter whirled around and saw his Uncle Ben’s body, still in the same clothes from the night of his death, standing there with a look of judgment scrawled across his face. His shirt was covered in blood and it was slowly spreading.

“I… Uncle Ben?” Peter whispered in shock, taking a step closer. As he did, he didn’t realize someone had grabbed him by the arm and slammed an elbow down into his shoulder.

Peter felt it pop and then felt the extreme pain follow. He cried out and twisted his body around, using his webs to envelop his assailant and throw him into the cubicles behind him. Peter glanced at his arm which was dangling by his side. “Oh no, that’s not good,” he said, wincing in pain and used his other hand to push his arm back in its socket.

 _“Just one step closer, Peter,”_ the demon-eyed Uncle Ben said, closing in on him.

Peter backed away from him closer to the window. “No, get away from me!” He shouted.

 _“Come on Peter, it’s what you want, don’t you, to be with us again?”_ He turned his head to the left and saw his father’s shaded figure approaching him as well.

“This is, what? This isn’t real!” Peter cried out. He suddenly couldn’t see the guards or Fisk anymore.

He thought he heard one of them say, “What the hell is wrong with him?!”

“I don’t know but kill him!” Fisk shouted.

 _“They’re right you know,”_ came a voice from his right. He looked over and saw Tony standing there, arms crossed, giving him the signature look of aplomb he had. “ _You’re no good here anyway. I mean let’s face it. Did you really try hard enough to get the gauntlet off?”_

Peter backed into a chair. “No, I did, I promise!” Peter exclaimed. “I really did, Mr. Stark!”

“Mr. Stark?” Fisk’s question echoed, but Peter could barely register it. “He’s gone crazy, kill him!”

 _“No you didn’t, kid, I know you didn’t,”_ Tony replied, drawing closer along with his uncle and father. _“You sit there with your pop culture references and cocky attitude, but you’re just using it to hide the fact that you’re scared and a failure. Don’t worry, I did that too_.”

Peter shook his head. “No, that’s not true!” Peter shouted. “It’s not my fault!” They closed in on him, looking so real that Peter was starting to doubt that they were ghosts.

He heard the cock of the gun too late and felt the force of the bullet as it hit him right in the shoulder. It pushed him back, and he fell backward into the large glass window and fell out of the building.

“Peter, deploying your parachute,” Karen’s voice came from inside his suit. Suddenly, the chute shot out and caught the air, slowing down Peter’s acceleration. He hung from it groaning, the pain the bullet lodged in his shoulder coursed through his body.

“I need… I need… help,” he muttered as he landed in a crumpled mess, his parachute floating over him. He groaned as he stood up and hit the button on his suit that sucked the parachute back up. “Karen, where’s… find me the ACLU building in Queens.”

“The… Peter, I need to get you to the hospital. You have a bullet lodged in your scapula, if we do not…”

“I can take care of it Karen, at the house, I just…” He grunted as he started to run away from the building, “…. Need help….”

“All right, plotting coordinates.”


	8. Let Me Bear Your Cross

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a little bit of Michelle/Peter action so... not PG-13 in the latter half of the chapter! Just fair warning! Thank you for reading!!!

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

Michelle glanced at her phone once again as she was finishing up her assignment for the day. She was used to Peter not texting her by now, but she still couldn’t stop herself from checking. A part of her was optimistic that Peter would snap out of his funk, that he would finally be ready to talk to her, to really tell her everything that was going on. Then she’d check her phone, staring at the picture of her and Peter at the Junior Prom last year. He was so sweet and awkward when he asked her, it had made her fall in love with him all over again. They had the best time, trying to dance, laughing with Ned and Harry, and then afterward, they spent the night in a hotel that Aunt May had gotten them, and they got to pretend to be fancy adults for an evening. It was right before they went on that field trip; right before Peter jumped off the bus and went up on that spaceship; right before everything changed.

She sighed and slipped her phone into her back pocket, shutting down her computer for the evening.

“So, ready to get out of here, Michelle?”

She picked up her backpack and looked over at Eddie, who was standing by her desk, hands clutched around the strap of his brown messenger bag. “And you care because…”

Eddie grinned widely. “Because I’m a nice guy.”

“Oh that’s what you must tell yourself daily to remember to be one,” she replied, walking away from him and out of the office. Eddie started after her, trying to catch up to her.

“How’s your family holding up after your grandma?” He asked as he came up behind her.

“What?” She glanced back at him, confused by his question.

“The other day, you said that you had to leave because your grandmother died,” He said, catching up to her.

Michelle pushed through the double doors of the ACLU’s main building and cursed to herself silently. _Mimi, I’m so sorry for killing you off prematurely for my own gain_ , she thought, although she was sure she wasn’t the first kid to kill their grandparents off to get out of something. “Uh, yeah, they are dealing.”

Eddie overtook her and stopped her from going any further. “Hey, if you want to talk about it, I mean, I’ve been there. My grandad died three years ago and it hurt badly. He was a big influence on my life. He actually participated in a sit-in with Rosa Parks.”

Michelle paused to give Eddie a hard look. She had given him grief ever since they started working together because she was so sure that he was some jock who just wanted to get laid. She almost forgot that he was actually a smart guy who had done great things in the name of equality and justice. She felt a little guilty in that moment for lying to him. “Uh, thanks, I appreciate it,” she said slowly. “It’s fine though. I wasn’t really close to her,” she lied.

“Oh,” he replied, looking disappointed. “Well, like I said, if you need someone to talk to,”

“Thanks,” she said curtly. She glanced around and watched some of the other interns and ACLU staff leave for the day. “So, um, what’s on your agenda for the rest of the evening?”

Eddie shrugged. “Homework for my English Lit class, Maybe play a few rounds of Madden 2018 with the guys. What about you?”

Michelle pulled out her phone and clicked the home button. No text messages. “Um, probably see the boyfriend,” she lied again.

Eddie smirked. “The elusive boyfriend. You know, I’m beginning to think you don’t even have one, you’re just making him up.”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Guys like you _would_ think that,” she replied. She opened up her phone and showed him her home screen with the picture of her and Peter. Eddie bust out laughing. “What!?” Michelle exclaimed defensively.

“What is a beautiful and smart sister like you doing with a pretty little white boy like that?!” Eddie exclaimed, trying to reign back in his laughter.

“Wow, what are you the black female dating police?” she shot back, stung by his words.

“No, I mean, I’m sorry,” Eddie said, his laughter dying down. “It’s just not what I was expecting.”

“Oh, you thought I was with someone who looked like you.”

“No, I was hoping you weren’t with someone like me so that you would eventually realize what you were missing. But now I see that I’m not your type at all.”

She bit her lip and looked back down at Peter’s goofy smile, his bright brown eyes that had become dull as of late from all of the worry and sadness that he hid from her. “You’re right, I’m into nerdier guys.”

“Yeah I can see that,” Eddie commented, and she glanced back up at him, noticing a twinge of jealousy in his voice. “So what’s he like? This mysterious white boy of yours. Can he hang with you, intellectually, I mean?”

“He’s our valedictorian right now,” she replied smoothly, although, with the way he had been falling asleep in class and messing up on quizzes, she wondered if he still was. “He’s a physics genius, pretty sure he’s going to MIT next fall.”

“MIT? And leave you all alone here in New York?”

Michelle ignored the tug of worry in her heart. “We have a plan,” she replied, although they hadn’t talked about it in months.

“Right, that’s what they all say. Trust me, I’ve been there,” Eddie replied. “It usually falls through. One of you gets too busy to call or text, and then you stop visiting each other and eventually, boom, it’s all over.”

Michelle glanced back down at her phone, agonizing once more over the lack of text messages from Peter. _Is that already happening?_ She thought. _Is Peter already distancing himself from me?_

“Peter’s different,” she finally said, meeting Eddie’s eyes. “He has a noble idea of responsibility, he’s not careless with other people.”

“He’s a guy with raging hormones is what he is,” Eddie remarked.

“Not every guy is thirsty like you,” she replied.

Eddie laughed. “You’re cute when you get frustrated,” he said, changing the subject yet again.

“And you’re annoying when you’re being obtrusive,” she replied. “Look I gotta go.”

Eddie grabbed her elbow and she froze, a little bit pissed off that he touched her. She pulled away from him. “Sorry, look, all I’m saying is… I think you’re cool, Michelle. If things don’t work out with Ferris Bueller, I wouldn’t mind taking you out sometime.”

“Oh really? I haven’t noticed,” she said, pushing a curl behind her ear. “Eddie, can we just… not do this? I want to believe you’re a half-way decent guy, and you’re just not convincing me.”

Eddie pursed his lips. “Yeah, sure, sorry. I’ll stop.”

“Thanks,” she turned and started walking to the subway stop near the office. “Um,” she turned around. “I’ll see you tomorrow Eddie.”

He gave her a small nod. “Yeah, see you tomorrow Michelle.”

She watched him turn and walk away in the opposite direction, and she felt a rush of relief that he was finally gone. She pulled her phone out and started walking again in the direction of the subway station, passing the alley between the ACLU building and an apartment building.

“MJ.”

The pained voice came out of the shadows, making her shout with terror and jump out of her skin. She spun around toward the alleyway and turned on the flashlight on her phone. She shone it directly into the face of Peter. “Peter?!” She exclaimed, shutting it off and rushing to his side.

His face was pale and ashen and he was holding his right shoulder with his left hand. “MJ, I….I…. need…”

He stumbled, and MJ caught him, as she did so, she realized her hand had hit his shoulder that he was holding. He winced. She pulled her hand away quickly put off by the sticky wetness it landed on. “Peter is that… are you bleeding?!”

“Shot,” Peter murmured. “I was close by, I need you to help me fix it,” he explained briefly, struggling to breathe.

MJ looked down at him. “You’re still in your suit.”

“Backpack,” he replied, and she noticed his backpack at his feet. She reached down and pulled out the sweater he had worn to school that day and his jeans.

“Okay, Peter, I need to get this overtop of you, okay?” she said calmly, trembling as she slipped the sweater over his head. He managed to get his left arm into it with no issues but moaned in pain as he tried to get the right arm into it. She then had him lean on her so he could get his pants on. “Okay, let’s get you to your apartment okay?”

He nodded. “Okay,” he slipped his left arm around her shoulders and she started to help him out of the alley. “Hey MJ,” he said quietly as slowly made their way down the street. “Who was that guy you were talking to?”

“Seriously!?” Michelle complained. “You’re dying right now from a gunshot wound and you’re jealous about a guy I’m talking to from my internship? Man, I am about done with fragile male egos tonight.”

“Noted,” Peter mumbled, leaning against her.

They made it to Peter’s apartment, the blood starting to stain his sweater. “Oh man, Aunt May is gonna be so pissed about this,” he complained, staring at the blood that had spread across his shirt. Michelle had made it about a block before insisting they call an Uber, and although Peter wanted to protest, she ignored it.

“She may give you a pass, all things considering,” Michelle replied, opening the front door. “Aunt May!?” She called out to the dark apartment.

“She’s probably not here,” Peter grunted stepping inside and making his way to his room.

“What do you mean she’s not here?”

“She’s been seeing some guy. She mentioned that he was a professor or something. We haven’t talked much since…”

“Oh, right, around the same time you stopped talking to me and everyone else,” Michelle replied sarcastically. Peter looked at her with pain and guilt covering his face that had a thumbprint of blood on his left cheek. She instantly regretted her comment. _Michelle, be a bitch to everyone, but not to Peter, come on_ , she chided herself silently.

“Yeah, that time,” Peter sighed, pushing his bedroom door open. She followed him inside and watched as he opened the bottom drawer of his computer desk and pulled out a medical kit. He handed it to her. “There are some long-nosed tweezers in there, I need you to pull the bullet out and then… uh,” he paused as the movement had caused a rush of pain to his shoulder again. “And then use this,” he pointed to a small metal spray bottle, “to cauterize the wound.”

She hesitated before opening the kit. “I? What? Peter, I’m not a doctor, I can’t… what if I leave some in?”

“You won’t, you have excellent attention to detail. You are an artist after all,” he replied, smirking at her.

She stared at the bleeding wound. “Peter, I swear…. Okay, I’m taking your shirt off.” She lifted the sweater over his head and then she hit the center button on his suit. It loosened and she carefully pulled it down to his waist, trying not to further aggravate the wound in his shoulder. She let out a long breath and knelt before him. “Okay… Okay, okay, okay… Okay…” She held the tweezers at the site of the bullet wound, blood around it starting to dry up. “Right, okay…”

“MJ, MJ,” Peter called out to her, grabbing her hand with his good arm. She looked up at him and was astounded by his calm face. “Grab that gauze and wipe the wound. It’ll make it easier to see what you’re doing.”

She nodded and reached over to grab some white gauze. She had trouble picking it up with her trembling fingers. “Okay, I got this, I can do this,”

“You can, I have complete faith in you,” Peter replied.

She shook her head. “How you can stay calm during this, I don’t know,” she took another deep breath, wiped the wound and then slowly pushed the tweezers into the wound. Peter grunted and swore, biting his lip to keep from crying out. “Sorry!” she exclaimed, and she felt the small metal casing of the bullet and latched onto it. “I got it, I just need to…” she pulled it out slowly, and Peter breathed deeply against the pain. “I think  I… I got it!” she pulled it out and thrust the tweezers up to Peter’s face to show him the small brass casing covered in his slick dark blood.

“Great,” Peter said weakly, looking at the wound, which was now oozing out blood. “The spray, MJ.”

She stared at the blood, which was coming out faster now. “Oh right, here, let me,” she grabbed the bottle and sprayed a white liquid over the wound. Peter gasped. “Is it cold?”

“Yeah, a little bit,” Peter replied, raising his eyebrows with alarm. “But,” he looked at the wound, which had stopped bleeding. “It works.”

“What is it?” she asked him, looking at the bottle for hints.

“Something Tony worked up a while ago to help cauterize, numb and heal puncture wounds. Came in handy for him on Titan.”

“Titan?” Her ears perked up when he said that word. She knew he was talking about something to do with Tony’s death; something that he hadn’t mentioned before. By the look on Peter’s face, she could tell he didn’t mean for the slip up to happen. She wanted to pursue it, but let it pass. “So, uh, who shot you?”

Peter stood up slowly and started taking off his suit. “One of Fisk’s guys,” he replied.

“Oh, had another run-in with them then, did you?” she asked, fishing for more information.

“Yeah, they were at a bank, Fisk was torturing some investment guy for information on Stark Industries and Tony’s shares.”

“Why? He wants them?”

Peter nodded, wiping the rest of the blood from his body. Michelle found her eyes trailing over his sinewy muscles of his arms to the perfect contours of his abs. She would never call herself a superficial girl, but she could feel a pleasurable ache in her pelvis.  “Yeah, He wants to control Stark Industries, I’m guessing so he can use it to make weapons for his mob empire.”

“You should tell that Devil guy,” MJ stated quickly, trying to hide her desire for him.

“Oh yeah, let me just put a call out in the superhero underground network,” Peter remarked.

“Oh, we got jokes now?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “Who’s the one who had to pull a bullet out of your shoulder just now?” Peter winced at her tone. “Yeah, thought so.”

“Okay, I got it. Sorry,” Peter muttered. “Anyway, before I started fighting them, the guy made it clear that Tony would have had to sign off on the shares, so there’s no way Fisk is getting them.”

“I thought that Pepper owns Stark Industries because Tony dies?” MJ sighed.

“Yeah, I know. Seems to me she doesn’t? She just runs it? I don’t know.”

“So, you fought ‘em off? Saved the guy?” She eyed his wound, a sneaky feeling inside telling her that wasn’t the case.

“Uh, not exactly,” Peter started. “Something happened, I don’t know it was like… I think I was hallucinating or something? I thought I saw…” he stopped and looked down at his hands. “It sounds stupid.”

“Oh, I’m sure its not the stupidest thing I’ve heard all day.  Remember Flash’s obvious comment about The Lion King being Hamlet but with lions today in English class?”

Peter chuckled. “Yeah, I did… I thought I saw my dad and Uncle Ben, and… Tony.”

Michelle moved closer. “What? Like for real?”

“They seemed real, but off somehow, like I was dreaming, but obviously not because I got shot. They kept saying stuff, not very nice, honestly, and I was so shook, I didn’t realize I had gotten shot until I was falling out of the building.”

Michelle approached him, resting a hand on his good shoulder. “You think it’s because you’re not sleeping? I can WebMD the symptoms…”

“No, it’s okay MJ, I’m sure it was nothing. Just… you’re right, I need to sleep… just a lot going on in my head.”

“I wouldn’t know,” she replied stubbornly, and as soon as she said it, she pressed her lips into a thin line and looked down at her hands. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

Peter sat down next to her on the bed and she felt his hands slip between hers, his fingers curling in between her fingers. “No, I shouldn’t have… I… I… I’m sorry MJ, I want to tell you, and…” She looked over at him and saw him taking a deep breath.

“Peter,” she started, wanting to tell him that he didn’t need to say anything, while at the same time, wanting to urge him to continue.

“Thanos,” he said quietly as he let the breath out.

“Thanos?” she looked at him oddly.

“He was the one that was behind everything – he’s the reason Tony is dead… See, he’s an alien from some planet, called Titan,”

“Titan,” she echoed, remembering how he mentioned it a few moments ago.

“Yeah, so, let me, um, let me start from the beginning…” and he squeezed her hands as he started to tell her his story, stammering, and stuttering through it. Michelle listened carefully, for once unable to hide her shock and dismay. He told her about six powerful stones and Thanos and his guards who wanted the stones to put into a magical glove of some kind to kill half of the population. He told her about flying one of their spaceships and meeting other aliens call the Guardians of the Galaxy, who helped them fight Thanos. He told her about Doctor Strange and the time stone, and how he gave it away in order for them to win.

“So, he got all of the stones?” Michelle asked, trying to comprehend what that meant.

“Yeah, he, uh, he did, and then,” Peter snapped his fingers. “And half the universe died.  Turned to ashes.”

“What? But why didn’t it happen on Earth?”

“It did,” Peter said quietly.

Michelle shook her head. “No, no, Peter, I don’t remember people just turning to ash. I’m an unusually observant person, and that is something I would not miss.”

“You wouldn’t remember,” Peter replied. “Doctor Strange used the time stone to undo it, and then he used the other one, the uh, mind stone, yeah, to make sure no one remembered anything.”

“So, we have all had our memories wiped? But you didn’t? And how… I thought you said this Thanos dude had the stones?”

Peter gulped. “See, after it happened, Tony, Cap and some of the others that didn’t die came up with a plan to create their own gauntlet and stop Thanos by going back in time using the Quantum Realm, and the rest of us, we were in trapped in the soul stone, and Doctor Strange used some spell to find us all so that we would be together at the right time to be released from the stone, and then we fought in this huge battle and…”

“Hold up, hold up,” Michelle’s ears perked at something Peter said. It made her heart skip. “What do you mean trapped in the soul stone? And Tony wasn’t dead, but the ones that were in the soul stone… Peter, did you…” He didn’t answer her right away, just gripped her hand tighter.

“Yeah, I died when he snapped his fingers.” He let out another long sigh. “D…D…Doctor Strange did too, yeah… It was… yeah…”

Michelle felt a cold, raw fear that she had never felt before – death and resurrection - It was the stuff of fairy tales, not something her rational mind could comprehend. And that filled her with a fear that consumed her.

Peter continued. “But, um, yeah they made the second gauntlet and got us back. When we came back, Tony was so happy… for the first time, I felt like Tony was actually happy to have me around, but it didn’t last long. When the Doc returned everything to normal, he, Tony, Thor, and Captain Marvel,”

“Captain who?”

“She’s new,” Peter replied. “But anyway, they combined their powers to destroy the stones. It was over, right, we won, but then Thanos…. He took Tony and…. We couldn’t turn back time anymore… and I tried to save him, but… I failed and…” He slid his arms around her neck and buried his head into her shoulders. “I’m sorry MJ, that’s all of it, I swear.”

She grabbed him tightly, not wanting to let go. “I know, Peter, it’s okay,” she said softly. She wasn’t sure what else to say; comforting someone whose parent or father figure had died is one thing, but comforting someone who died and came back to life? _You are in uncharted territory, MJ_ , she thought to herself. “Did it hurt? When you died?” she asked timidly, wondering if it was too far, too much for him.

He didn’t respond right away. He stared off into the distance of his room, and she could tell he wasn’t quite with her anymore; she wondered if he was back on that planet, reliving that moment all over again. When he finally spoke, Michelle could tell he was holding back. “It… it wasn’t pleasant…” he admitted, turning his head toward her.

Michelle didn’t respond. All she wanted was to make him feel something other than the pain and sadness that he seemed to be carrying for the last few months. She reached up and brushed his hair back, which was messy from the sweat of his mask. He gave her a quizzical look, and she returned it with a small kiss on his lips. Feeling his lips against hers awakened that desire she had felt earlier seeing him half-naked. Peter didn’t pull away; instead, he pressed his lips harder against hers, forcing her mouth open, and slipping his tongue inside as if he wanted to taste every inch of her.

He moaned, slipping his hands under her t-shirt, his fingers making their way up her body until they reached their destination, the back of her bra. Deftly, he undid her bra, loosening it enough to allow him to go up underneath it. She felt a shiver of pleasure run through her body as his thumbs rolled over her nipples, hardening them instantly. She leaned into him, her body begging him to keep touching her, to stay close to her.

“I want you to feel better Peter,” she murmured into his ear.

“I just want to feel better,” Peter murmured back, trying to maneuver his head back toward her face to kiss her again. “It’s been so long…”

“I know,” she whispered, pulling away.

“What are you doing?” Peter asked her with a child-like disappointment. Michelle grinned and knelt in front of him, pulling his cock out of his boxer shorts. She took him into her mouth, feeling him grow quickly as she applied pressure from the base to the very tip of him. She could already taste a tiny bit of saltiness drip into her throat as she sucked and licked Peter to the point where his legs trembled. She didn’t want to get him off that way though. She wanted to feel him inside her, she wanted to feel his hands gripping her skin.

He must have sensed her own desires because he stopped her, grabbing her curls and pulling her off of him. “Come here,” he whispered, and she came willingly, climbing back up onto the bed and climbing on top of him. She undressed, and then slowly guided herself on top of him, wincing a little bit as he filled her up entirely. She pressed her hands against his bare chest, careful not to go near his healing wound. Then she rode him quickly, then slowly, feeling her own pleasure start to build as Peter’s fingers found their way between her legs, rubbing and pressing against her.

Her heavy breaths were quick and hot with her arousal, and Peter’s nearly matched hers as he went for her hips, clutching them with his hands. She felt his rise and then release, a shuddering wave that coursed through his body straight into her. She held herself there, overcome by the look on his face, how his eyes go dark when he releases and a strange, otherworldly look appears that changes him and makes him look wild and full of an animalistic joy. It was enough to send her over the edge as well and she fell forward onto his chest pressing her mouth against his abs as she tried to muffle her own cries of ecstasy.

Peter held her as she finished, her own hands still pressed against his chest. As she slowly calmed down, she felt Peter’s lips touch the top of her head. “I love you so much,” he whispered.

She finally looked up at him, a satisfied smile crossing her face. “I love you too, loser.” She slowly crawled off of him and turned onto her back beside him.

They laid there in silence, and Michelle could feel her mind reeling. There was so much more she wanted to ask him. So many more questions that she wanted to be answered. Peter had given her so much, much more than she knew he felt comfortable giving away, but it still wasn’t enough. _But when it comes to Peter, is it ever going to be enough?_


	9. Is This a Dream?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, hit a mental roadblock and had trouble getting this chapter out. Regardless, I finally finished it. Let me know what you think! Love y'all!

**_Harry’s POV_ **

Harry stared at the back of the cereal box, his eyes following the cartoon maze meant to keep young children entertained while they eat their breakfast. He wasn’t thinking about the maze, however.

_Sanctum Sanctorum…._

_Eye of Agamotto…._

_Fisk…._

_Peter…._

They played on constant loop in his head the last few days, and Harry found it harder and harder to keep them from entering his mind. Harry took another bite of his cereal and chewed it vigorously. He kept his distance from Peter, and he wasn’t sure for what reason. A part of him was still angry with Peter for his reaction the other night. The other part of him felt sorry for Peter, who was reminded of Tony’s passing that night and received news that clearly affected him. So, Harry avoided any type of conversation with him, and he didn’t seem to mind at all.

 _BUZZ_.

He looked down at his vibrating phone. A text message appeared on his screen.

_Spider-Man can’t protect you forever, Harry. Help me._

Harry glared at the text and ignored it. Fisk had texted him several times a day now, doing everything from threatening him to something that resembled reasoning. Harry hired extra security the day after the fire, and they stood outside of his temporary office that he set up on the ground floor of the building. He didn’t want to be caught off guard again.

His phone vibrated again, and Harry saw that it was a call from Mendel. _It’s too early for work,_ he groaned. Mendel was an annoying reminder that Harry’s childhood was stolen away from him and he would never get it back.  He was sometimes jealous of Ned, and hell, even Peter, who could still go home after school and play video games if they wanted to. Not Harry, he had to go to an office, talk to adults who treated him like a child, but expected him to make adult decisions. It was frustrating.

“Hello, Mendel,” he sighed as he picked up the call.

“Harry, hello, getting ready for school, are we?” There was a twinge of sarcasm in his voice, which made Harry boil inside.

“Yeah, Mendel, I am. So, whatever you have to say on behalf of the board, say it now,” Harry replied, taking another bite of his cereal. The sugary taste brought a momentary happy feeling to him, which Mendel seemed hellbent on destroying.

“I know we talked about this a few days ago Harry, but the Board is adamant. They have voted to sell our shares of Stark Industries and begin distancing ourselves from the company.”

Harry started choking on the frosted cornflakes he was chewing. “What!? Mendel, you can’t do that. I have a vote too!”

“You do, Harry, but the yeas outweighed the nays considerably, even if you voted,” Mendel replied. He seemed almost giddy to deliver the news to him.

“After all Mr. Stark and Pepper did for us… they helped me when my father nearly ruined the entire company!” Harry exclaimed. “You can’t just dismiss them because Tony’s dead. Pepper was the one running the show anyway,”

“And she’s been mourning while the company’s been struggling with its focus and leadership. If we don’t sell our shares now, we could face a huge loss later on. I know you don’t understand any of this – you don’t have your father’s brains after all – but when there’s one lesson here you need to learn…”

Harry was seething, ready to come back him.

“… business and friendships do not mix. Sometimes, you have to make decisions for the good of the business, not because you’re chummy with someone.”

Harry stopped. “But…” he let those words start to churn into his head.

“If it makes you feel better, you don’t have to tell Miss Potts at all. We will talk to the company attorney and he will handle everything.”

Harry sighed. “yeah, that’s… that’s fine.” He jumped off his stool and grabbed some paper towels to clean up the cereal he spit out. “Can’t you just… okay, look, I don’t know who knows this, but next week Pepper is hosting a reading of Tony’s will.” Silence fell over the other end. Harry continued. “So, can we just wait to finalize all of this until after that? I mean, Tony’s gotta have put in his will something about the company, right?”

“That’s true… how do you know that?”  Mendel’s sarcasm was dropped suddenly and his voice dripped with snake-like curiosity.

“I… I mean, I have my connections.”

Mendel sighed. “Fine, I will talk to the board about holding off. What is the date?”

Harry gave Mendel the date that Happy had given Peter, and then hung up. He sighed. _Why am I even doing this? Do I really owe Tony Stark that much?_ He knew he didn’t. Tony helped him because he was Peter’s friend and because he was a businessman who knew a good deal when he saw one. And Harry knew he was trying to make amends for the pain he caused his family. No, Harry knew exactly why he was doing this; he was staying the execution for Peter. His friend who didn’t trust him; his friend who seemed to so easily be convinced that Harry was doing something wrong. _Like my father_ , Harry thought bitterly. _Maybe I’m just like him. Maybe Peter sees him in me_.

But he knew deep down he wasn’t. His father would try to bury Stark Industries, and he certainly wouldn’t care what one of his friends thought. _As if he even had friends_.

Harry grabbed his backpack off of his sofa and started for the door. As he headed down to the Town Car waiting for him, he had another call. This one he didn’t mind taking.

“Hey Ned, what’s going on, Man?”

Ned’s typically excited voice filled the other end. “Harry, hey, I just wanted to see if I could maybe grab a ride with you again to the internship after school? Mom’s gotta work late.”

“Yeah sure, no problem. We will grab some Chipotle or something on the way in.”

“Dude, that sounds so awesome,” Ned replied.

“Yeah, totally awesome,” Harry echoed.

“Um, also, I kinda wanted to talk to you about another thing.” The inflection in Ned’s voice hinted that he was dancing around a topic he dreaded. Harry had an idea of what he wanted to talk about.

“No,” Harry said firmly. “I’m not telling Peter about the eye thing and the Sanctum.”

“But Harry, look, if you tell him, he won’t be mad at you anymore, and maybe we can actually talk again at the lunch table instead of staring at each other like we’re in some weird Western gun fight,” Ned said quickly trying to rush his point in before Harry rejected it.

“Ned, if Peter wants to know, he can just tell me what’s bothering him first.”

“Harry, it’s not the same thing,” Ned retorted. “I mean, I agree, it sucks that Peter won’t tell us what’s going on, but it’s not like dangerous, us not knowing. You and I both know that that bald dude was talking about the place where Peter goes after school to visit that Doctor.”

“I’m beginning to think he’s not actually a Doctor,” Harry said.

“Yeah me neither. Maybe he’s another superhero we don’t know about. Anyway, point is, not telling Peter could wind up with you getting killed, or worse, me getting killed.”

Harry couldn’t help but laugh sourly. “How on earth are you involved in this?”

“He saw my face Harry! He held a gun to my head and knows my name,”

“Because you told him!”

“It doesn’t matter now, how he knows, the fact is that he knows! And we have to do something about it,” Ned finished.

Harry sighed. “Peter’s going to kill me for not telling him about it sooner.”

“Oh come on Harry! He forgave you for giving up his secret identity to your dad, and he forgave me for telling you,” Ned said.

“Fine,” Harry said stubbornly. “I’ll tell him about it okay? Will that get you off my back about it?”

“It’s a start!” Ned exclaimed happily. “And maybe, he might tell us something too.”

They hung up, and Harry wondered if that was Ned’s overall goal in all this. Reveal Harry’s secret in hopes that Peter would tell them about Tony’s death and everything that happened up in that spaceship. Sometimes, Harry found Ned to be annoying, but others, he found him to be the only smart one in the entire bunch.

 

 

**_Peter’s POV_ **

Peter felt her lips on his bare skin as he slowly woke from his dreamless slumber. He looked down and saw Michelle peppering his chest and abs with kisses.

“Good morning,” she said with a lustful grin, her eyes dark with lust. She slowly climbed on top of him and started running her fingers up and down his body as her half-naked body writhed on top of him.

“Mmm Morning,” Peter mumbled trying to come out of his sleep. He hadn’t slept like that in ages, especially without any dreams… or nightmares rather. He reached out for her. “Come here.” The room was still dark, a sign that daylights saving time was closing in on them. Peter could barely make out most of the room save for his bed he was laying on.

“No, I just want to see you, like this,” she said softly, her eyes fixated on his chest as her fingers continued to run up and down it. Suddenly, Peter’s senses dialed up, the hairs on his arms standing straight up. _What the hell are my spider senses doing?_ He thought. _I’m not in danger here._

“O…kay…. Ow, hey, MJ, that kinda hurts,” he said wincing as her fingers dug deeper with each pass, her nails starting to rip against his skin. “Whoa, okay, I think…” He tried to grab at her fingers, but she swatted his hands away.

“I wanna see…I wanna see…” she dug harder, her fingernails tearing his skin and drawing blood.

“Jesus, MJ, what the hell!?” Peter exclaimed, pushing himself out of her reach.

She looked up at him, her eyes black as coal, the whites of them gone, her lips peeled back in a tooth-bearing grin. “I want to see if you bleed Peter,” she said in that same lustful tone, except she started cackling wickedly.

Peter’s eyes widened and he scrambled to get out from underneath her. “What the hell is going on?” Peter exclaimed, falling out of the bed and crawling quickly across the floor backward on his feet and hands.

Michelle turned and perched herself on the bed, her black, unblinking eyes staring straight through him. “Why won’t you die?” she asked as she crawled off the bed on all fours.

“I don’t… what? MJ if this is a joke, this isn’t funny,” Peter said, backing into his desk. He reached for his web shooters but was stopped by a web which caught his wrist out of nowhere. “Huh?” he looked back at Michelle who was holding one of his web shooters from which the web came. She started pulling on the web, her strength unbelievably more than he had ever seen. He felt himself being dragged along the floor toward her as he struggled to pull the web off of his wrist. “Stop this right now MJ, this isn’t funny,” he said, panic rising in his voice.

“You did this to me Peter,” she jeered. “You did this to me and now I’m going to make you pay.” She lunged at him, and he rolled out of the way.

“This can’t be… this isn’t real,” Peter cried out, reaching for something, anything on top of his dresser. He felt something a hairy limb and he quickly pulled his hand away and looked up to see a large black spider scuttering toward him, its bright red eyes glaring at him. “What the hell is going on!?” Peter shouted. He suddenly fell back as Michelle had grabbed his ankle and pulled him hard toward her. His head slammed against the wood floor of his bedroom, and Peter groaned from the searing pain in his head.

“Come to me Peter, don’t you want me?” This demon version of Michelle said, using her one hand to twist his ankle. Peter cried out from the pain and used his good foot to slam his heel directly into her face. She let out a strangled wail and let go. Peter pulled himself up, gasping from the pain in his head and ankle. “P…P… Peter how could you?” she whimpered, black tears running down her cheeks.

“You’re not MJ,” Peter said, panting as he made his way over to her. “What did you do with MJ!” He grabbed her by the neck and she started gagging. “What are you? Who are you?! Tell me what you did with MJ!” he shouted over and over again.

“P…Peter,” she called out in gasping breaths. “S…s…stop!”

Peter kept his hands firmly on her neck. “No, tell me! Tell me!” he shouted.

“S…S..Stop! H…Help Please!” she cried out in a strangled voice.

Peter looked down at her and noticed her eyes weren’t black anymore, her mouth returned to its normal shape. The air around him seemed to suddenly clear and it wasn’t dark. In fact, a bright sunlight had pierced through the blinds of his room, lighting it up in a cheerful manner, a stark contrast of what was happening on… _My bed, how did we get back onto my…_ Peter suddenly realized what had happened and loosened his grip, staring down in horror at Michelle who had tears in her eyes and red marks around her neck.

“Oh my God, MJ,” he whispered, jumping off the bed and peddling backward away from her. “What did I do?”

Michelle started coughing, sitting up slowly, rubbing her neck. “You were having a dream and I tried to wake you up,” she said, her voice hoarse from the strain to her vocal cords.

“MJ…I… I am so sorry,” he grabbed at his hair and pulled hard. “What the hell is wrong with me? I have never… It felt soo real MJ, the dream, so real…” One of the things he never wanted to do he had just done. He hurt Michelle with his powers. “Are you okay?”

Michelle touched her neck and winced. “Do you see anything?”  She grabbed her phone and used the camera to see if Peter’s hands left a mark. She sighed audibly with relief when she saw that they hadn’t.

Peter’s face crumpled and he buried it into his knees, which were drawn up to his chest. “Oh my God, oh my God, MJ, what is wrong with me?” The guilt had overcome him, and he could feel his chest constricting, the sweat forming on his brow once more. He could have killed her. He could have killed his own girlfriend if he hadn’t woken up. “You should go,” he said quietly.

Michelle stood up and started walking toward him. “Peter, we should get you help, there must be someone who can,”

“Please go, MJ,” Peter begged. “I just can’t… I can’t look at you right now, knowing what I just did.”

“Peter,”

“MJ, please!”

Michelle backed away, staring at him with an expression of hurt and confusion. He couldn’t blame her. Last night he had revealed so much to her and then they made love for the first time in months, and this morning he was trying to kill her in his sleep and now telling her to leave. He wished he could stab his own heart so he could feel the ounce of pain she was feeling at that moment.

“Fine,” Michelle said shortly, her face going blank. She quickly grabbed up her clothes and fled his room.  

Peter sat there curled up, his mind going back and forth. He had had bad dreams before, but never ones that felt so real. He especially never had dreams that led him to hurt anyone. And Michelle? Awake, he would never put his hands on her, and yet when he was asleep, his subconscious seemed to take a turn down a malicious path that scared Peter.

 _What is wrong with me?_  He thought, thinking back to his panic attacks, his sleeplessness, his hallucinations, and now this. _Did what happened on Titan, Tony’s death… did it all really affect me this badly?_ He thought about Michelle’s suggestion of getting help. But who could he turn to? He couldn’t divulge his secret to a therapist. Doctor Strange was helpful, sometimes, but he was a neurosurgeon by trade and a sorcerer by chance, and he was working through his own issues. He sat there in that scrunched up position for what seemed like forever until Karen’s voice awoke him from his ruminations.

“Peter, if you don’t leave now, you’re going to be late for school,” Karen announced from his computer.

“Oh shit, you’re right, okay,” Peter jumped up and reached in his closet for something to wear, wincing at the residual pain from the gunshot wound he suffered the night before. _At least that’s healing faster than my mind is_ , he thought, staring at the wound which had closed up.

When Peter got to school, he found Michelle waiting for him by his locker. She was wearing an oversized hoodie and leggings and leaning against the row of lockers, arms folded across her chest. Peter approached cautiously not sure what to expect from her; she must have felt the same way because she made no moves to hug him or slap him, and her face remained in its usual, unreadable pose.

“Hey,” Peter said softly, leaning against the lockers next to her. “I, uh, kinda need to get into my locker.”

She didn’t move, but just raised an eyebrow. “That’s all you’re going to say to me?”

Peter could feel his nerves tingle. He never minded confrontation that revolved around kicking butt, but personal confrontations involving feelings? That wasn’t something het got from his spider bite. He scratched the back of his neck uneasily.  “Um… MJ, look…”

Michelle repositioned herself to face him full on, grabbing a hair tie from her wrist and pulling half of her hair up into a ponytail. “Sorry, I usually take a shower at your place when I spend the night, but since I was kicked out, I had to take the subway back to my house, which gave me about 10 minutes to get ready before I had to make it to school on time.” She gestured toward her outfit. “So this is what I’m working with today.”

“I’m sorry,” Peter muttered. “I shouldn’t have… done that… I freaked out, and…”

“Peter,” she took a deep breath. “I’m okay. You didn’t hurt me… too badly. I stink though, so fair warning.”

Peter took her hand and leaned in to sniff her. “You don’t smell too bad, I think I’ll live.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek, when they were interrupted by Harry.

“Pete! MJ, hey!”

Peter looked at Harry, who was jogging up to them with surprise. He hadn’t said two words to Peter since the fire and their fight, and his friendly tone and look seemed out of place. “Hey Harry, what’s up man?”

Harry came to a halt in front of them. He pushed back his blond locks, which seemed to sit effortlessly on his head. There was a wild determination in his green eyes that Peter had rarely seen before. Harry came in for a half bro hug, his shoulder hitting Peter’s wounded one. Peter winced, but Harry didn’t seem to notice.  “So, um, Pete, I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I’m sorry man. I’m sorry for being such a jerk the other day.”

“Oh, it’s fine, really. You were kinda right about everything… I wasn’t accusing you of anything, you know, that right? I don’t think you’re some evil villain or anything. It’s just… I don’t want him coming after you and Ned.”

Harry smirked. “I know. I just got defensive.”

“You defensive? No,” Michelle replied, raising an eyebrow. Harry looked over at her.

“Ah, I see we’re in a delightful mood this morning,” Harry cracked, looking over at Michelle with narrowed eyes.

“Well we all can’t be rays of sunshine like you, Harry,” She shot back, grabbing her backpack off the floor. “I gotta get to homeroom. I’ll see you in chemistry?” Peter nodded and she gave his hand a squeeze before parting ways. “Hey Harry, glad to see you dialed back your dick-o-meter today!” she called out as she left.

“Only for you MJ!” Harry shouted back. Peter couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Harry and MJ had gotten close after they came to his rescue last year, and although she knew Ned longer, Harry and her connected on a different level. They always picked on each other, but Peter always felt relieved of how easy it was to hang out with them together. “Dude, she is in a bad mood today though right? What did you do?”

“I…What did I do!? it’s a long story,” Peter replied, grimacing at the memory. Harry looked at him skeptically. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“You will?” Harry replied, the skepticism in his voice high. “That’s surprising… Look, Pete, I wanted to talk to you about the whole Fisk thing,” The bell rang, interrupting him. “Crap, if I’m late to homeroom again, Dr. Williams is going to give me detention.” He patted Peter’s shoulder. “Right, so I guess I’ll talk to you at lunch about it, okay?”

“Right, lunch, we’ll talk about Fisk,” Peter echoed, watching Harry jog off.

Peter tried to pay attention in his classes, but his mind kept refocusing elsewhere. Between him and Michelle, and then Harry’s secret, Peter had a lot to think about that wasn’t school. The worst part, though, was that their teachers seemed so adamant to make them try and pay attention. So, he was grateful when he got to chemistry and found out that they had a substitute.

 “Hello, I’m Mr. Hickman. Dr. Connors is out today, so they called me in. Let’s be real here, though, okay? None of you really want to do any work, and I’m just substitute teaching for extra cash so let’s help each other out. You guys get a free period, and you keep it down so I can work on my novel. Are we at an understanding?”

The students all nodded enthusiastically in agreement, and Mr. Hickman smiled and opened up his laptop to start typing. Peter turned to Michelle who was sitting next to him at their lab table.

“Free period? What do you want to do?” Michelle pulled out her book on the Apartheid and gestured toward it with her eyes. Peter frowned. “Oh right, yeah.” She smiled and put her head down into the book.

Ned and Harry were sitting in front of them, whispering furiously to one another. Peter craned his neck to try and listen into their conversation, disappointed for once that super-hearing was not one of his powers. After Ned pinched Harry, he heard him say, “Okay, fine, I’ll tell him now.”

They both turned in their chairs and Peter quickly looked down at his chemistry book, pretending to not have been eavesdropping on them. “Hey Pete?” Harry said timidly. Peter looked up at him, feigning surprise that he was addressing him.

“Uh, hey Harry, what’s up… man?”

“Harry wants to tell you about the other night,” Ned blurted out before Harry had a chance to speak.

Harry scowled. “Jeez Ned, couldn’t hold it in, could you?”

“Sorry.” Peter noticed that the rustling of the pages in Michelle’s book had stopped.

“Anyway,” Harry turned his attention back to Peter. “Okay, so yeah, what Ned said.” He cleared his throat and continued. “Okay, so a few months back, after you know the spaceship and Tony’s death and stuff? Um, Wilson Fisk came to my loft to ask me about information my dad had found on something called the Eye of Agamotto.”

Peter felt his blood go cold. He hadn’t heard that name spoken anymore other than within the walls of the Sanctum. He tried to hide his recognition of the name. “Okay…”

“Well, I had found some journals of my dad’s back when I was cleaning out the townhouse to sell, and there were pages about this Eye-thingy and the Sanctum… The place you mentioned going to visit that Doctor friend of yours.”

Peter knew what Harry was doing. He was fishing for information from Peter. Peter didn’t want to give it to him. “What did the journal say?”

“It said that this Eye has the power of time travel or something. Apparently, my dad and Fisk were working together,” _Oh, that’s surprising,_ Peter thought, rolling his eyes on the inside, “on finding it. Fisk promised my dad that he’d help him bring my mom back.”

Peter frowned. “What? It doesn’t work that way.” By the expressions on Harry’s and Ned’s faces, he realized that he spoke too quickly. “Uh, I mean…”

“Wait, how do you know?” Harry asked. “Have you seen it.”

 _Shit_. “Uh, yeah, I have,” Peter said slowly. “But Harry, your mom still had cancer… It may be able to move time, but it can’t change her condition.”

Harry’s eyes went downcast. “Yeah, but, it’d give her another shot right? Maybe now we can find a cure now, you know it’s been years…”

“No, you don’t understand Harry, It doesn’t take her out of time, it just turns back time,” he sighed. “Why does Fisk want it anyway?”

“I don’t know,” Harry said. “He was super vague about it… But I thought if you knew about it, maybe we could…”

“We could what?”

“We could use it ourselves,” Harry finished. “I mean, my mom, your parents, your uncle, Tony…

“Don’t do that,” Peter said, feeling a tense anger coursing through his veins. “Don’t bring them into this Harry.”

Harry scoffed. “Seriously? I don’t get you, Peter. You run around in tights saving peoples’ lives, and you have the chance to save people who loved you, who have been there for you, and you’re like ‘nah, that’s okay!’”

“Okay, this is not the direction I thought this was going to go,” Ned suddenly interjected.

“Of course it wasn’t, because you only care about poor Peter’s feelings,” Harry shot back.

“Dude!” Ned exclaimed.

“We can’t use it,” Peter said plainly.

“Why not? For once in your life, Peter, come to the dark side!” Harry exclaimed.

“No, Harry, you don’t understand. We can’t use it because it’s been destroyed okay? Along with the other Infinity stones. It was destroyed and then Tony died, and he can’t come back okay!?” Peter could feel that wave of panic hit him like it had the other day, and he could see a blurred blackness creeping around the outer edges of his vision. “I came back… But no one else…” He felt out of breath.

He heard Michelle’s voice in a distance calling for him, but his eyes were instead fixated on a sudden presence that had suddenly emerged in front of the classroom. His spidey senses started flaring up, making him hyper-aware of the danger.

A pall fell around Peter as he stared into the smiling face of a huge purple alien. His body was as wide as he was tall and he was adorned in rusted golden armor and a gold gauntlet…. With six stones shining from its knuckles. Peter sucked in his breath hard. “You’re not here,” He said firmly, trying to convince himself more than the ethereal figure before him.

“Insect, I should kill you now, make Stark and Strange pay,” the figure of Thanos snarled, walking up to the front lab table where Abe and Charles were sitting. Peter stood up into the aisle. “But instead, I think I should just punish you.” He grabbed at Charles, lifting the gawky, dark haired boy up by his neck. Charles eyes bulged out of his head, his glasses falling to the floor. His fingers clawed at the large hand around his neck, his mouth moving, but only gurgles coming out.

Peter looked around the room, shocked that no one was screaming or running away. They all seemed to be completely oblivious to Thanos’ presence. _Okay, this cannot be real_ , Peter thought, and he slapped his face, wincing at the pain. _If it’s not real, why did that hurt?_ Ned and Harry were still turned around, looking at him, confusion on their faces. “Do you not see him?!” Peter exclaimed. He waved his hand in front of Harry’s face. “You were just yelling at me and now you’ve gone catatonic?”

“They can’t see me, Peter,” Thanos taunted. “Strange made sure of that, made them all forget. But not you, Peter.” He tightened his grip on Charles’ throat.

Peter pulled his sleeves up to reveal his web shooters. “Let him go purple Homer,” Peter taunted, poised and ready to fight.

“You think you can beat me? Spider-Man?” He started laughing. “If Stark wasn’t there, I would have crushed you under my feet like the annoying little insect you are. You’re nothing without him. It’s a pity he had to die and you remain behind.” He squeezed Charles neck tighter and heard an ugly cracking sound.

“NOOOO!” Peter exclaimed, jumping up to take action. He swung over the heads of his oblivious friends, as Thanos dropped Charles’ lifeless body on top of the table in front of him.

“Ah, you’re ready to fight? Let’s fight,” Thanos grabbed the edge of the table and flipped it toward Peter, and then charged toward him, flipping tables and knocking Peter’s classmates back, sending them flying. Peter jumped and lunged, webbing them each to safety. As Thanos got closer, Peter lunged, his fist out and ready to punch, but Thanos was faster and sent an upper cut that hit Peter square in the gut. He felt the wind get knocked out of him, and he started to fall, but Thanos grabbed him by the neck. “Worthless,” he spat, pulling Peter’s mask off.

Peter could feel the sting of tears as he struggled to free himself from the Titan’s clutches. “I’m not worthless! I’m an Avenger! I’m Spider-Man!”

“You should just die,” he said, raising his fist with the gauntlet. The stones started to glow and Peter knew it was the end. He closed his eyes and then suddenly he felt a hard slap across his face.

His eyes shot open, and Thanos’s face was still grinning maliciously at him, but the classroom around them had started to fade. Then he felt it, another slap, and he heard a voice far away.

“Don’t hate me for doing this, Peter,” the voice said. Was it female?

Thanos’ grin faded and he looked annoyed. “Not again,” he murmured, and Peter could see the shape of him start to flicker slightly, as if it was all just a disguise, a mirage, and he was something else entirely underneath.

A darkness surrounded them, and Peter could hear that female voice, shrill, but demanding say, “Get up Peter dammit. Get up now!”

And suddenly, Peter could see the brown-colored hand coming toward his cheek. His spidey senses kicked in and Peter’s hand flew up to catch it.

Peter stared into the frightened eyes of his girlfriend, whose hand he was clutching. He realized he was on the ground of the same chemistry classroom he watched get torn asunder by Thanos moments before. However, nothing looked out of place, and Charles was very alive and staring at Peter aghast.

He heard snickering behind him and he twisted around to see Flash and his friends pointing at him and laughing. He realized he was sitting on the floor, Michelle, Harry and Ned all huddled around him.

“What’s going on? Why does this stuff always happen to me on my sub days!” Their substitute, Mr. Hickman, pushed past the students, coming up behind his friends. “Is he okay?” he asked Michelle.

She looked at Mr. Hickman and then at Peter for confirmation. “Uh, yeah, I think he was just having a bad dream.”

Flash burst out laughing, making the rest of the class start to laugh. Peter felt his face grow hot with embarrassment.

“Jesus, this is what I get for not teaching you kids and letting you nod off in class. Do you need to see a nurse?” Peter shook his head quickly. “Good, now get up and stop acting out. This chapter isn’t going to right itself.”

He returned to his desk, and Peter felt Harry and Ned’s hands grab onto his arms to help him up. “Are you okay, Peter?” Ned asked him.

“I think so… I…. what happened?”

“Well, you and Harry started going at it, and then you kind of passed out,” Ned explained.

Flash sauntered up to them, his friends, flanking either side. Then in a high-pitched, mocking voice he said, “Oh no, don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! I’m an Avenger! I’m not worthless! Save me!” Flash rolled his eyes. “Penis Parker has some big dreams, doesn’t he?” his friends laughed around him. “You wish you were Spider-Man, you dorky loser.”

Peter’s heart raced and he clenched his fists. He wanted to snap at him, but his mouth was dry, and his mind reeling.

“So do you, Flash, only difference is once you put that suit on, we’d all be able to see how unimpressive you really are,” Harry spat, putting himself in front of Peter and smirking at Flash’s scandalized look.  

“The only thing unimpressive is your brain, Osborn,” Flash shot back, his face bright red.

“Ooh, burn,” Harry joked. “Don’t need my brain to pick up girls though, unlike some people.”

The other kids all laughed, making Flash’s face turn a deeper shade of red. “Yeah, well, you know what? At least my dad’s alive.”

“Oh, okay,” Harry lunged at him, but Peter and Ned grabbed him. “Flash, you’re a pathetic douchebag, you know that? Your dad would be nowhere if he wasn’t mooching off rich people like me!”

“O…Okay… we should go take Peter to the nurse after all,” Michelle interjected, grabbing Harry’s hand and pulling him around.

“What? I don’t need….” Peter stopped talking when he saw a cautious look on her face. “Yeah, maybe I should go after all.”

“Mr. Hickman, can Harry, Ned and I take Peter to the nurse?”

“All three of you? Jesus you millennials can’t do anything by yourself these days. Fine, go.” He waved them away, and the four of them ran out of the classroom quickly.

Michelle led their small group down to the library, where they slipped inside and moved toward the back of the stacks before the librarian could find them. “Okay, that’s better,” Michelle said, settling down on the floor, her legs crossed under her.

Peter sat down next to her and put his head in his hands. “What happened? We were talking and then I saw…”

“You went unconscious,” Ned said. “It was so weird. You passed out, just like Harry Potter did every time he was near dementors. Are there dementors nearby?”

“Did you really just ask that question?” Michelle said.

“Wait he was just talking about stones that have the power of time travel and dementors suddenly seem out of the realm of possibility!?” Ned exclaimed.

“They aren’t real, Ned,” Peter agreed. “I guess I was dreaming,” he said finally.

“Yeah, whatever it was, you freaked us all out,” Ned replied. “You fell onto the floor and started trying to fight me and Harry when we tried to help you up. MJ slapped you in the face three times before you woke up.”

“That’s why my cheek hurts so much,” Peter said, rubbing his tender skin. “Is that to make up for this morning?”

“It certainly helped,” she replied straight-faced. “You did mumble some stuff Peter, about the Avengers, and Tony, and Thanos.”

Peter glanced at Harry and Ned, who seemed particularly interested in that name. “I thought he appeared, MJ. He wanted to fight me, he wanted to kill me.”

“Wait, who’s Thanos!?” Ned asked.

“He’s the one who stole the time stone, or the Eye, from Doctor Strange,” Peter explained. “An alien that looks like a big, purple terrifying toe. He’s the one who sent that spaceship back in May. Packs one hell of a punch.” He looked over at Harry. “I’m sorry Harry, about the stone. I know it’s not what you wanted to hear.”

Harry hung his head. “Yeah, whatever. Guess that’s what I get for waiting.” Peter looked at him expectedly. “I found that journal months before you went up in that spaceship. If I had told you about it sooner…”

The bell rang and they could hear the other students start to emerge from their classrooms, livening up the hallways outside. Peter realized where they were, realized that quickly that he was about to have a conversation that he wasn’t ready to have, not with Ned and Harry, and not in school. He jumped up quickly. “Even still, I didn’t know Doctor Strange then, and there’s no way he, or Wong, would have ever let us use it.” He noticed students entering the library. “We should probably get to class.”

“Huh? Forget class, Peter, you need to,”

“No, I’m good. I promise.” He tried to reassure them with a smile, but even he knew he was holding back. He held his hand out for Michelle, who took it and stood up. It felt nice, her hand in his, and he remembered their night together. It made all the darkness that was lingering in his mind fade slowly. “I’ll talk to you guys later,” He said to Ned and Harry, who both stood there speechless. Peter knew they were upset, but at that moment, all he wanted was comfort; he didn’t want to endure anymore of his thoughts, any more of the nightmares he seemed to be having.

As he and Michelle started to walk out of the library, he felt that strange feeling like someone was watching him again. His spider senses started to tingle once more at the base of his brain. He craned his neck around to see if he could see someone, but all he could see were the few stragglers who were trying to get to their classes. _Come on, nothing is there_ , he thought to himself. _Is my brain broken or something?_

“What’s wrong, Peter?” Michelle asked.

“N…n…nothing,” He stammered, turning back around. “I just thought I saw…” _What?_


	10. Dreams and Schemes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments everyone! Next chapter is up! some different POVs and fun stuff to be had!

**_Harry’s POV_ **

“Well, that did not go the way I thought it would,” Ned said once Peter and Michelle had left the library.

Harry stared after them, the frustration growing by the minute. _Of course, Peter said no. Peter would never go behind the Avengers back to help me. He cares more about them than he will ever care about me_ , he thought bitterly, clenching and unclenching his fists. “Yeah, great plan Ned. We still don’t know anything about Peter’s deal, and he basically told me to back off.”

“Well, we did find out about that alien guy,” Ned said optimistically. “And it’s not Peter’s fault the stone was destroyed…. Although you never mentioned wanting to use it….”

Harry didn’t respond. He hadn’t told Ned about it because he honestly wasn’t even sure about the plan until he started talking to Peter. He hadn’t really believed Fisk when he said he’d bring his mom back, but when Peter confirmed the stone’s powers, Harry grew hopeful that maybe Peter – Peter who had lost more than Harry; Peter who had seen death first hand – that maybe he would want to use that power too. “Yeah, I know it’s not his fault. It’s my fault… if I had told him about it sooner, maybe…” he let out a long sigh. “I don’t know.”

“So, what are you going to do when Fisk tries to threaten you?” Ned asked him.

“Tell him the truth? The stone is gone. Then my dad’s debt to him is repaid and he can leave me alone.” Harry wasn’t too sure he believed himself though. Fisk was the kind of mobster that needed connections to powerful and rich people to thrive. Harry was one such powerful person. He didn’t think Fisk would leave him alone that easily.

They both started walking out of the library to their next classes. “Man, I wonder what else is in that Sanctum place,” Ned said as they walked. “I mean, if there’s a stone that controlled time, what else could there be? A magic wand that can turn people into animals? A necklace that can make you invisible? Man, I wish Peter would take us there.”

“That would fulfill your D&D fantasies wouldn’t it?” Harry joked, but a thought kindled deep inside his mind when Ned said that and it continued to grow as Harry made his way to Oscorp.

_What else is at the Sanctum? Sure, the stone is gone, but what if there was another magical object, or… a spell! That could bring my mom back?_

“Hey Harry,” Felicia purred as he entered the tower. She was sitting in her usual spot, the visitors’ desk by the entrance, her face and neck the only parts of her body visible from behind the black marble monolith of a desk.

Harry paused to lean over the desk. He captured a glimpse of a short, black pencil skirt, and a button-up shirt that had the first button unbuttoned. Harry could feel the blood rushing to his pelvis.

“You’re killing me, ‘Licia,” he moaned. “I have to do some work today.”

“Boo, I know, and you already have a visitor,” she replied, giving him a fake pout with her wet, red lips.

“I do?” Her information threw him off-guard. He wasn’t expecting any visitors – in fact, he was hoping for a quite few hours at work before he had to head home and do real homework. “Do you know who it is?”

Felicia nodded. “Sure, that bald guy from the other day. He doesn’t have his creepy bodyguards with him though.” The phone next to her started ringing, and she held up a finger to Harry and answered it. “Oscorp Visitor’s Desk, how may I assist you?”

Harry could feel the sweat start to accumulate under his arms and around his forehead. _I could just walk away right now. Call Peter, get him to come help me_ , he thought, tapping the desk nervously.

Felicia, getting annoyed at his noise, sharply grabbed his hand to stop his movement. She gave him a side-eye as she continued to talk to the person on the other end.

Harry pulled his hand away and started fumbling for his phone. _I’ll just call Pete, yeah, he’ll come down here, and he will get rid of Fisk._

His fingers hovered over the phone, but they didn’t hit Peter’s name. He sighed. “I’ll call you in when my meeting’s done, ‘Licia.” She gave him an absent-minded nod, her attention fixated on her phone conversation.

Harry walked toward his temporary office, and as he got to the door, he hesitated. There was still time; there was still a chance for him to turn around, to make that call.

Slowly, he turned the door knob and pushed the door open.

“Mr. Osborn, you’re a hard man to get a hold of these days!”

Fisk was sitting at Harry’s desk, hands folded on top of his stomach, his eyes and lips smiling. Harry’s whole body felt heavy as he shut the door behind him. “And you’re a hard man to get rid of,” He replied, walking toward his desk carefully.

Fisk laughed. “That I am. Call me persistent.” He gestured toward the emptiness around him. “As you can see, this is a friendly call.”

“That’s new.”

“Trying a different tactic. I forget, sometimes, that you’re still a child, Harry.” He started chewing on the bottom of his lip. “With one hell of a body guard might I add.”

“Spider-Man’s not my bodyguard.”

“Ah, but he seems to come when you need help. He’s something to you all right.”

“What are you getting at? I thought you’re here about the Eye.”

“I am, I am… but see I’ve had too many run-ins with this Spider fellow for my liking. I already have a masked figure in Hell’s Kitchen that is ruining my life – I’d like to limit that number.”

“I don’t know who Spider-Man is,” Harry lied.

“Stark did though, didn’t he? Designed all his suits, called upon him to help him fight his battles. Eager little bug too. You know, I’ve been trying to purchase a large share of Stark Industries.”

“Why?” Harry looked at him confused.

“Power, Harry. If there’s one thing you need to learn is that no matter what kind of business you’re in, he who holds all the cards, wins.” He smiled. “And I want to win. And then maybe I can crush the annoying web-crawler.”

Harry gulped. “Are you here about our shares to Stark Industries?”

“No, Harry, not yet. Although that time might come depending on the outcome of Stark’s will.”

“How do you know about Stark’s will?” Harry asked, looking shocked.

“Stark may have been a hard nut to crack, but his company’s accountants, lawyers and bankers, are quite easy to open up.” He chuckled. “But, enough about that business. You know why I’m really here.”

“I can’t help you with the stone.” Harry tried to say it with as much authority and confidence as he could.

Fisk’s smile faded. “Harry, do you know why I want that stone so badly?”

“I don’t know, go back in time, invest in the right stock, become rich and take over the world?”

“No, and it pains me that you think so little of me. No, Harry, I would go back in time and fix the mistakes that have torn me away from the love of my life.”

There was a mistiness in his eyes suddenly, something Harry hadn’t seen in him before. It made Harry’s guard lower. “This is about a girl?”

“Isn’t everything, when it all comes down to it?” Fisk replied. “You and your father are plagued by the loss of your mother; me, it’s the fact that my love, Vanessa, can never return to me, and I can never see her, lest she be killed or put into jail. The Devil made sure of that. I had replayed it all in my head, thought of ways to fix it, but he’s made it impossible. Unless, I could go back in time. An acquaintance I met, a man named Pangborn, mentioned a place that might hold such power. But I needed an ally; I needed someone who I knew wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, who had the skills and smarts; I needed your father.”

Harry started picking at the skin on his thumb. “Mr. Fisk. I understand where you’re coming from. I really do, but the stone is gone.”

Fisk’s smile disappeared altogether. “What are you talking about Harry?”

“I found out today… the stone was destroyed by the guy that runs the Sanctum and the Avengers.” He looked back up at Fisk. “Spider-Man told me, and I have every reason to believe him.”

Fisk’s eyes narrowed. “When?”

“What?”

“When was it destroyed?”

“Months ago, before you even came to me.”

Fisk balled up his fist and slammed it down on Harry’s desk. “I was too late…” he muttered through gritted teeth. He stared down at the spot where he hit the desk; he made a sizable dent on the surface.

Harry walked timidly toward him. “But, the place where it came from? The Sanctum? It’s full of magical stuff… there might be a spell…”

Fisk looked up at him. “What are you saying, Mr. Osborn?”

“I’m saying, don’t lose hope. You want to get your Vanessa back, and I want to get my mom back… we still may be able to help each other out.”

“You’ve been so hesitant to help me before… why now?”

Harry shrugged. “I’m still learning this whole business thing, but I think I’m starting to learn that there are no friends in business. Only opportunities. And if you choose friends over opportunities, you lose.”

Fisk grinned. “A wise choice, Mr. Osborn. So…” He stood up and met Harry at the front of the desk. “How do you plan to find this Sanctum?”

“I know a guy who knows where it is.”

“Spider-Man?”

“Spider-Man.”

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

Michelle stared down at her phone, her eyes studying the picture on her home screen – the one of Peter. She remembered the day he took that picture; It was six months since they had started dating, and they were stuck inside on snowy Saturday afternoon trying to study for an AP Biology mid-term.

_“If you touch me with those cold feet one more time, no web-trick in the world can get you away from my wrath fast enough,” Michelle muttered, glaring up at Peter from her laptop screen._

_They were sitting opposite of each other on Peter’s bed, both covered up under his comforter. He kept trying to lay his bare feet on top of hers, quickly pulling them away when she reacted._

_“Don’t tempt me with a good time,” Peter joked, setting his own laptop aside. “Can we take a break? I’m hungry.”_

_“You’re always hungry.”_

_“It’s the new genetic makeup. Gotta keep up my strength keep Queens safe!”_

_She sighed and set her laptop down. “Does May have any leftover Thai in the fridge? And maybe we can watch a movie too?”_

_Peter’s eyes lit up. “Now we’re talking!” He jumped up and ran out of the room. He came back minutes later with a couple of containers of rice, chicken and steamed dumplings. The delicious spices floated into Michelle’s nostrils, and her stomach started growling._

_“That’s leftovers? Why does your aunt order_ that _much food?” Michelle said, gawking at the haul in Peter’s hands. He handed her a fork and scurried back into bed._

_“Because she knows how much I eat,” he replied. “So, what about a scary movie? The remake of IT just finished downloading on my computer.”_

_“Was IT really a scary movie though?” she said, raising an eyebrow at him._

_“It was scary to me!” Peter exclaimed. “If anyone ever decides to become some clown criminal, that’s it I’m done.” He pulled the covers down next to him. “Hurry, or you’ll let all the heat out!”_

_She rolled her eyes and clamored over the covers and slipped underneath them next to him. Peter put his arm around her and she instinctively curled up into his chest. It felt so safe and warm there beside him; it made her feel at peace._

_Peter fired up the movie on his laptop and rested his head on top of hers, as he funneled some rice into his mouth. “So, this monster feeds on fear, right?” she nodded. “What are you afraid of?”_

_She shrugged, taking a dumpling and plopping it into her own mouth. “Cats.”_

_“Cats? Really?”_

_“Yes, cats, now shut up, I’m trying to watch this movie.”_

_“But you’ve seen it before!” Peter exclaimed. Michelle pulled away to look at him._

_“Are we talking or watching a movie?” When Peter shrunk back guiltily, she smiled and curled back up into him. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out and unlocked it. It was a text message from her dad checking up on her._

_Peter was looking down at her phone. “Hey, how come you don’t have a picture of me on your phone like other girls do of their boyfriends.”_

_“Because I’m not like other girls.” She looked at her home screen wallpaper, which was an inspirational quote from Rihanna that she found on Instagram. “Do you really need the validation?”_

_Peter grabbed her phone and slid open the camera. He quickly snapped a selfie and handed it back to her. “There, if you ever decide you want to look at me when I’m not around, there’s a picture of me at one of my happiest moments.”_

_She stared at him agape, her phone sitting heavy in her hand. Peter just grinned at her and pulled her closer to him, stealing one of her dumplings in the process. She wasn’t going to change it right then, but the next day, when she got home, she changed her wallpaper, and hadn’t changed it since._

“Earth to Michelle!”

Michelle quickly turned her phone over onto the desk and looked up to see two of the interns, Gwen Stacy and Lily Hollister waving their hands in front of her face. Michelle liked to call them the Doublemint twins because they were both blonde-haired and blue-eyed girls from Empire State University. They just looked like they should be in one of those old gum commercials.

“Um, hi,” she said shortly, a little unnerved that the two of them were talking to her. “Can I help you two?”

Gwen grinned at her with the brightest, whitest smile imaginable. “So, Lily and I are going to have a little get together at our apartment later for all the interns. Can you come?”

Get Togethers. Code for a party. Michelle dreaded parties. She went to them, of course, but she disliked them utterly and completely. “Everyone going?”

The two girls exchanged looks. “If you mean is Eddie going, then yes,” Lily teased.

“I didn’t mean… what?”

“Oh, come on, everyone has seen the way the two of you flirt! It’s okay he and Gwen haven’t dated for a while.”

She looked over at Gwen who was fixing her headband. _What grown girl wears headbands anymore?_ She thought. “I don’t like him,” she said firmly.

“It’s completely fine, Michelle, honestly!” Gwen exclaimed. “It was just a few dates.”

“Okay, yeah, but still… I have a boyfriend, I don’t like Eddie.” She noticed Gwen and Lily exchanged amused glances at her protestation. Michelle sighed. “Can I bring friends?”

“Sure… wait, aren’t you friends with Harry Osborn?” Lily asked eagerly.

“On the days he doesn’t piss me off,” she replied.

“Are you going to bring him?” Lily asked innocently.

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Lily has a crush on him. It’s so stupid, he’s too young for her.”

“Only by two years!” Lily exclaimed, her face reddening. “Whatever, Gwen… so is he coming?”

“He will come, he is never one to turn down a party,” Michelle replied.

The two of them left her alone then, and she quickly typed out a text message in a group chat between her, Ned, and Harry.

PARTY TONIGHT? MEET ME AT MY INTERNSHIP AT 5

Harry replied first: AM I GETTING INVITED TO A PARTY BY MICHELLE JONES? HAS HELL FROZEN OVER?

Ned replied second: UH SURE BUT WHY DIDN’T YOU TEXT PETER?

Michelle sighed and texted back: SCREW YOU HARRY AND NED, HE’LL SAY NO, SO WE ARE JUST GOING TO SHOW UP AT THE SANCTUM AND GRAB HIM

Harry: I LIKE THIS KIDNAPPING SCENARIO; DO WE NEED ROPE AND A GAG?

Ned replied: YEAH THAT MAKES SENSE

Michelle wrote back: HARRY I DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHY YOU HAVE EITHER OF THOSE THINGS, BUT IT WON’T GET THAT FAR

Ned added: HE MAY HAVE A POINT

Michelle finished: OKAY BRING THEM JUST IN CASE JEEZ

“So you’re going to Gwen and Lily’s little party too?”

She groaned and looked up to see Eddie leaning over her computer screen now. “I didn’t realize that me checking my phone was an invitation for conversation,” she muttered, setting her phone down and looking back at her computer screen, conspicuously ignoring him. Eddie waved a hand in front of her screen, and she smacked it away.

“Ouch,” he mumbled, pulling his hand back. “So, you going to bring the boyfriend?” She continued to ignore him, although his presence was hard to ignore.

She found her eyes traveling up the length of his arm to his bicep which was barely covered by the cotton polo he was wearing.

 _Don’t do it, MJ, don’t give him the satisfaction,_ she thought. She kept her eyes focused on her screen, hoping he’d get the hint and leave her alone.

“Not in a talkative mood today?” Eddie asked. “Or you and the boyfriend have a fight?”

“His name is Peter,” she said through gritted teeth. She finally looked up at him. “And yes, he’s coming.”

She maintained an angry stare, and Eddie finally looked away, embarrassed at having that much eye contact for that long. “Well, good. I’d really like to meet him,” he said turning quickly and making his way back to his desk. Michelle watched him out of the corner of her eye, and she noticed that Gwen and Lily were anxiously waiting by his desk.

 _You’ve got to be kidding me_ , she thought, as she watched them pounce on Eddie the minute he sat down. She groaned and let her head fall down onto her desk, hoping that everyone would leave her alone the rest of the time she was there.

**_Peter’s POV_ **

Peter dropped his backpack onto the foyer floor as he entered the Sanctum. “Hello?” He called out, his voice echoing around the open layout. The house seemed unusually still, which made Peter nervous, but his spider senses were silent, which made Peter curious. He looked up the grand center staircase and noticed the Doctor’s Cloak of Levitation floating toward him.

“Oh, hey Cloaky, where has the Doc esCAPED to?” Peter gave the cloak a cheesy grin. “Get it? Es-CAPED? Because you’re a…” His smile faltered. “I’m making jokes to a flying cape, good God.”

The cloak’s edge lifted and motioned for Peter to follow it up the stairs. “Oh, you want me to? Um, okay.”

Peter followed the cloak up the first set of stairs, and Peter paused on the landing. “Um, are you sure I’m supposed to be going up there? Pretty sure Doctor Strange threatened to turn me into an actual spider if I did,” Peter protested.

The Cloak wrapped itself around Peter’s wrist and pulled tightly. “Ow, okay, jeez, I’m coming!”

They took the right set of stairs that led up to the top room of the house, the room that contained the circular window with the strange bronze design overlay. Peter had always wondered what went on in that room, but never had an opportunity to go into it. The whole ordeal was starting to give off a spooky feel. The Cloak turned the door handle and pushed the door open.

“Hello, Peter,” said Doctor Strange from inside the room.

Peter walked in behind the Cloak slowly, observing his new surroundings. The first thing that caught his eye was the window. It was so immense in comparison to the room that it almost felt like a completely separate part of the rest of the area. Doctor Strange sat just below the window on a raised rounded platform of sorts. He was cross legged, and Peter realized quickly he wasn’t sitting on the platform but hovering above it. On the edges of the mostly bare room were obsidian-colored tables and chests that were covered with burning candles and ceramic containers spewing different scented smokes. Peter noticed that there was a rather large book floating just to the right of Doctor Strange, bound in a rich mahogany leather cover.               

The Cloak floated gracefully over to Doctor Strange and reattached itself to his person. Peter scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Uh, hi, Doc. What, uh, what’s going on?”

Strange opened his eyes and gave Peter a soft smile. “I have been thinking about your problem, Mr. Parker.”

“My problem?”

“Yes, the problem of your anxiety and depression.”

“I’m not… what? No, I’m fine… I’m not…”

“Peter, you need to stop living in denial if we are going to work through this.” Doctor Strange motioned for him to come sit on the platform with him.

Peter started walking toward him, and suddenly felt a tickle on the back of his neck. His spider senses spiked, and he quickly turned around to see what was making him feel odd. Nothing was there.

“Peter? What is it?”

Peter turned back around and stared into Strange’s concerned face. “Uh, nothing. I thought I felt something, but it’s just my imagination. I think it acts up way more here in this house.”

“OH, well, it could be another dimensional being or creature. The walls between dimensions can be very thin in some spots of the house. Now, come here.”  

Peter could feel his familiar tingle fade and made his way over to the Doctor. He sat down in front of him and looked up at his floating body. “So, can I do that?”

Strange slowly floated down to the floor so that he was eye level with Peter. “No, that takes practice and the skill of a Master of the Mystic Arts. But what we will be doing today is something that will make you feel like your floating.” Peter scrunched up his nose. “Meditation,” Strange explained.

Peter rolled his eyes. “Come on Doctor Strange, I don’t need to meditate!”

“Yes, you do. Your mind needs time to work through the different thoughts and feelings that are plaguing you. Meditation is a great way to free yourself from those thoughts. The Ancient One made us meditate all the time during my training to be a sorcerer. It really does work.”

Peter groaned and readjusted his legs so that they were in the same cross-legged position as Strange’s. “All right, sensei. I’m all yours.”

“Excellent,” He looked over at the book still floating, but now at his eye-level. “All right, Peter, go ahead and take a deep breath through your nose, and as you exhale, close your eyes and rest your hands on your knees.”

Peter took a deep breath, and as he slowly exhaled, he noticed the light in the room dim, which he thought was odd considering the brightness of the outside that had shone into the large window before. He closed his eyes to the strange occurrence and felt his body begin to relax as he exhaled.

“Very good, Peter. Now, as you continue to breath slowly in through the nose, out through the mouth, I want you to focus on that breathing. Become aware of it, what it’s doing to your body. Do not focus on anything else, just your breathing. Can you do that?”

Peter nodded slightly as he continued his methodical breathing. He could feel his heart rate slow; his mind start to open up. Doctor Strange had become silent, and Peter could hear nothing but his own breathing, his own heartbeat. He swore he could even hear the whooshing sound of his blood as it traveled throughout his bloodstream.

And then the tingling began again. Lightly at first, and then it Peter hard, so hard that his eyes flew open and he grabbed the back of his neck. He looked down at his arms, and saw the light hairs standing straight up.

“What the… Doctor Strange, is this part of the medi….” He trailed off as he looked up to find that Doctor Strange was no longer sitting in front of him. In fact, the room itself had changed completely. He wasn’t in Doctor Strange’s house anymore, but his living room. “What the hell?” He said as he got to his feet. “Is this some kind of spell Doc? Is it a trick?”

“Peter?”

He looked over toward the entry way to the kitchen and saw his aunt standing there. She looked utterly surprised to see him there. His brain was exploding from the warning bells in his body. “Aunt May? Uh, I’m not sure what’s going on but,”

“Why are you back?” she said bluntly.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re supposed to be dead, buddy.”

Peter’s jaw fell open slightly. “What? Aunt May, that was… you’re not supposed to remember that, how do you…”

She shook her head angrily and stormed into the living room, picking random stuff up off the floor. “You were dead. Tony promised me you were dead. I thought I was finally rid of you.”

“What? Aunt May, what are you saying?” Peter felt a pang of hurt in his gut. “You don’t want me here?”

Her head shot up and her eyes were dark with anger. “Of course, not Peter! You have ruined my life! I wanted to have a kid with Ben and instead we got stuck with you. Your stupid parents had to go and get themselves killed. And then you got Ben killed and keep running around like an idiot in that ridiculous costume. You have been nothing but a pain in my ass since you’ve arrived!”

“Aunt May, you don’t mean that,” Peter said, his voice wavering. He walked over to her. “Something’s wrong, tell me, what’s wrong.” He made to grab her hand, but she whirled around and pushed him square in the chest.

“Just leave me alone Peter!” she shouted, her voice intensifying tenfold, booming all around them.

Peter was caught off balance from the push and he found himself falling backward, but he wasn’t hitting the floor fast enough, He looked back and realized he was falling into some kind of black hole. “Oh no, no, help, Aunt May, help me!” he shouted, flicking his wrist out expecting to have one of his emergency web shooters on him. Except they were gone.

His aunt stood there glaring at him with a satisfactory grin. “Good, go, leave. It’ll make our lives easier.”

Peter couldn’t control his balance and he felt the wind start to rush around him, deafening him as he fell into the black abyss. He tried to cry out, but the wind knocked his breath away. He fell for what seemed like an eternity, all the while, his brain throbbing. _What the hell is this? This meditation thing sucks!_

Suddenly, the space around him cleared and he landed with a thud on the top of a concrete building. Peter groaned and rolled into his back. Every inch of his body felt brittle and it hurt to move. “Oh, come on, how is this calming!?” he shouted to the sky. _Sky?_ He was now outside on top of a roof, looking up at a pinkish-purple sky. He sat up and took in his surroundings. He was still in New York City, he believed, but there was something off about it, something different. Everything seemed a little bit off, to the color of the buildings, to their shapes. He stood up slowly, dusting off his old Spider-Man suit. _What? My old suit?_  He looked down at the light blue sweatpants and red hoodie combo that he had worn before Tony made him his new suits.

“Hey there Pedro.”

Peter spun around into his fighting stance. He stared into the menacing smirk of Adrian Toomes, dressed in his full Vulture machinations.   Peter’s stance faltered from his surprise. “Mr. Toomes?”

“You’ve been busy since I’ve been put away, haven’t you?” He said, closing his mask and stepping toward Peter. “How’s my daughter doing?”

Peter shook his head. “I…I… I don’t know, she’s gone. I haven’t seen her…”

“Of course, you don’t know. You don’t care. You ruined my life, _her life_ and you sit there with your fancy suit Tony Stark gave you and pretend to be a hero.”

“I do care, Mr. Toomes! I cared about Liz, I really did!”

“Don’t let him lie to you Adrian,” the cool, high-pitched snarl came from behind Peter. He didn’t even need to turn around to know whose voice that was. It sent a shiver down his spine. He slowly turned his head to see Norman Osborn hovering just above the ground in his Green Goblin costume. “If he cared so much, he wouldn’t have let me die.”

“I tried to save you!” Peter shouted angrily. “You didn’t want to be saved!”

“Yes, well, whatever you say to fall asleep at night,” Norman replied, laughing. “Time’s running out for you, Peter.” He closed in on Peter as Toomes did on the other side.

Peter didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t want to fight, He dashed toward the edge of the building, ready to jump, but something caught hold of his hoodie and lifted him into the air. “What the hell!?” He looked up to see a metal claw clamped down on his hood. It swung him around and Peter came face to face with Mac Gargan in his Scorpion suit. He had a hole in the middle of his forehead where blood dripped down, and Peter remembered that Harry’s butler had shot and killed him protecting Harry and Michelle.

“Wow, you would kill at a haunted house Mac,” Peter couldn’t help but joke. Mac growled and threw Peter onto the ground. Peter caught himself, landing in a crouched position. “Right, so you guys want to fight or something?”

He heard the sound of electricity and out from behind Toomes appeared his dark-skinned accomplice with the electro-shock glove. “Right, so four against one, even odds, I like it,” Peter said and leapt into the air to attack. He was immediately met with a barrage of attacks from both sides; a kick to his left rib, an electric shock to his abdomen, and a gas bomb in the face, followed by Scorpion’s tail sweeping up underneath him. Peter fell backward, hitting the back of his head against the concrete ground of the roof. He heard a sickening crack, and he placed his hand on the back of his head, feeling a thick, sticky substance.

“Looks like your time has finally run out, Peter,” Norman said in a sing-song voice, as he and the others circled around Peter’s body, looking down at him with disgust.

“No, no, don’t touch him, let me.”

Norman and Toomes parted and Tony stepped in between them. His mouth was curled into tight-lipped grin, much wider than Tony usually smiled, his dark brown eyes glowered at Peter from behind a pair of blue-shaded sunglasses. “The kid is the reason I’m dead after all.” He stepped over Peter, straddling him between his legs and crouched down. “Man, you really know how to spoil all the fun, don’t you, Kid.” He took his sunglasses off to peer straight into Peter, as if he was looking not just at him, but at his soul. Peter reached for his head, pressing hard against the pain that was shooting through him. “I tried to warn you, but you didn’t listen, did you?”

“Mr. Stark, I’m sorry, please,” Peter begged, trying to back away from him, but bumping into Mac.

“Perhaps I’ll have to punish you… that’s what parents do right? My father was never good at it, my mother definitely wasn’t, but they didn’t have the one thing I have.” Tony reached out with his fingers, which started to contort, growing longer, bonier, thinner. “They didn’t have my fear.”

Peter watched in horror as Tony’s features started to morph, slowly, his body stretching and pulling, changing before Peter’s eyes. And then he heard a voice from behind them shout, “Get away from him Tony!”

The voice was followed by a yellow energy blast that hit Tony right in the chest. The blast propelled him backward and knocked the others out as well. Peter scrambled to his feet and felt a hand grab his arm. “Up you go Mr. Parker,” came the voice of Doctor Strange.

Peter looked up at him in shock. He was dressed just as he was when they were meditating. “Doc? Wha… what’s… what’s… um, thanks,” he said, dusting himself off. “I had them you know.”

Strange looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. “Peter, you need to wake up,” He said, readying another one of his magical weapons with his hands.

“Get away from him sorcerer, he’s mine!” Tony shouted, as he rose to his feet, his form still strangely shaped, the familial parts of him starting to fade, turning into something darker, more sinister.

“Sorry not today,” Strange said, sending magical arrows at him. “Peter you have to wake up now!”

Tony’s figure blocked the arrows, one just nicking him on his side. He quickly looked down at the mark, which he took as an obvious affront and looked back up at them snarling. He starting running toward them, and Doctor Strange launched another attack with wing.

“Peter NOW!” he shouted furiously, as Tony’s figure pushed through wind turbines that blocked him from them.

“I… I… I don’t know how!” Peter shouted. “I didn’t even know I was asleep! You know, I don’t like this meditation stuff very much, Doc!”

Strange let out an aggravated cry and then spun around and slapped Peter hard across the face. “Let me give you some motivation then!”

Peter felt the shock of the slap as it stung his cheek. He could feel the edges of his vision start to blur. “Doc, why did you –“

SLAP

Peter felt himself starting rise, the scene before him becoming hazier, grainier. He could hear Tony’s figure cry out, a strangled, upset cry, and he saw Doctor Strange’s figure disappear. Tony seemed to be clawing up into the sky for him, but Peter was too far gone. Everything faded into blackness, and then Peter felt a sudden urge to open his eyes.

He did so, sitting up quickly and looking around. He was back in the meditation room, everything looking exactly how it was when he got there. His heart was pounding in his ears, his face and palms sweaty. He looked over and saw Doctor Strange sitting on one leg with the other propped up, leaning against it to catch his breath. He looked up at Peter with a concerned, yet relieved look. “Well, that was unexpected.”


	11. The Sanctum's Like Hogwarts Without Kids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay everyone! I rewrote part of this chapter in my head and had to go back before I submitted it. Enjoy!

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

Five o’clock came painstakingly slow, but it eventually reared its head. Michelle quickly made her way out of the ACLU office and into the street, hoping Ned and Harry would both be there waiting for her – one, because she wanted to go to the Sanctum and get Peter, and two – she didn’t want to get caught by Eddie waiting outside and forced to make small talk with him.

Luckily for her, as she exited the building, she saw Harry and Ned leaning up against one of Harry’s Town Cars. Even if Harry’s wealth was a bit obnoxious, there were times Michelle was silently grateful that he was around because it meant that sometimes she didn’t have to take public transportation – which was especially helpful when one is trying to get from Queens to Greenwich Village.

“Hey MJ! How was the internship?” Ned called out as she approached them.

“Same old, same old. Still fighting for justice and equality, one file folder at a time,” she replied.

“So, who’s having this party?” Harry asked, peering around Michelle, watching the other people from the office start to leave.

Michelle turned around and she caught Eddie’s eye by accident. He didn’t make his way over to her, he just raised an arm in salute and walked on. She then saw Gwen and Lily step out, chattering away. _Probably planning their outfits for tonight_ , she thought.

“Um, those two girls, Gwen and Lily. They go to Empire State and have an apartment together.”

Harry’s face lit up. “And here I thought only mildly attractive nerd-girls worked here,” He said, watching them go with the attention of a bird ready to pounce on its prey.

“Harry, your shallowness and chauvinistic attitude continues to not surprise me,” she sighed.

“Oh, MJ, you know I think you’re really hot,” Harry replied too casually for her.

“No, I didn’t, and now that’s something I’d like to forget,” she said tersely. “So, you guys ready to go get Peter?”

“Sure, but… I don’t know where the Sanctum is,” Harry said as he opened the door to climb in.

“That’s okay, I do.”

Ned and Harry both looked at her surprised. “Wait, you do?” Ned asked. “How?”

“The other night, I found it when I decided to go looking for Peter.”

“And you never said you’d be THAT girlfriend,” Harry joked.

She rolled her eyes. “I was getting tired of all the secrets, so I decided to find the place myself. It’s not hard, if you know where to look.”

“Well, do you have an address I can give the driver?”

“177A Bleeker Street,” she called up to Harry’s driver. The man nodded and they took off.

“So, what’s it like?” Ned asked.

“I never made it inside,” she said. “So, I have no idea. When I got there, they were all leaving. But I’m sure it’s a creepy place that a wizard would live in.”

“Did you see him do any spells? Like Expelliarmus or Obliviate?”

“Ned, this isn’t Harry Potter,” she sighed. “But if he used Obliviate, wouldn’t I have forgotten everything?”

Ned grinned. “So, you DID read the books! Why’d you make fun of me and Pete for reading them!?”

“Because, it was fun,” she said shrugging. “But, no, the only thing he did do was create portal to Wo Hop.”

“Wo Hop?” Harry said with a disgusted look. “That place isn’t even as good as everyone says.”

“It’s all right,” Ned conceded. “I’m not a huge Chinese food guy anyway.” They exchanged fist bumps. “So you think this Strange guy is going to let us into the Sanctum? It’d be so awesome.”

“Well, he won’t have a choice because we’re going in no matter what,” Michelle said with a determined look on her face.

“I’d like to see this place for myself too,” Harry said in a low voice, his eyes slowly drifting to the street outside.

Michelle glanced over at him, the memory of his and Peter’s disagreement in chemistry still fresh in her mind. “Harry, we are just getting Peter. This isn’t the time to talk about the stone or time travel.”

Harry muttered something under his breath that Michelle couldn’t hear. Her initial reaction was to make a snarky comment, but she knew that Harry was still hurting over the realization that he couldn’t bring his mom back, so she let it go. She turned her attention to Ned who was eyeing both of them with hesitation. He noticed her looking at him, and quickly looked down at his phone.

Poor Ned. That’s what Michelle thought sometimes, particularly in the last year. After the Norman Osborn attack, he and Peter had a falling out, and Michelle felt partly to blame for it because she and Peter started dating. She hadn’t meant to come between them, she was both of their friend, but she fell in love with Peter. Or, rather, she had always been in love with him, but he finally noticed her back. Even after they reconciled, Ned always seemed to be a bit on the outside of everything.

Harry and Peter had bonded over their shared grief and struggles of being orphans and their connection to Tony Stark. Michelle had the other part of Peter’s attention, the part Ned would never fulfill, could never fulfill. Then the spaceship incident happened and Peter grew more distant from everyone, but from Ned, it seemed, most of all. She never mentioned it to Peter, but she was beginning to think that she should.

“Hey Ned, how’s the internship going?” Michelle decided to ask. She never asked him about himself, and her current thoughts made her feel guilty about it.

“Oh, my, what? Oh dude, the internship is awesome!” Ned exclaimed. “I was down in the robotics lab helping the IT guy fix one of their computers, and I got to see some AI prototype they are working on for robotic maids.”

“Oh yeah, I had tried one of them out at my house,” Harry piped up. “Not as cool as you’d think.”

The two of them started discussing the pros and cons of having a robot for a maid, when the Town Car made a stop. “We are here, sir,” Antonio announced.

Ned and Harry pressed their faces up against the window. “That’s it?” Harry asked, looking disappointed.

“Hey, it could be like Grimwauld Place in Harry Potter,” Ned offered. Harry looked at him blankly. “You know, the townhouse is like magical and muggles can’t see it but wizards can?”

“Nope, that’s it,” Michelle stated, pushing the door open and getting out of the car.

“Oh, well, that’s it,” Ned said to Harry, grinning from ear to ear. He jumped out after Michelle.

She looked at Harry, who hesitated. There was something about his manners that made him seem shifty. And she started to suspect he was hiding something. She was always observant and had gotten to know Harry’s moods and actions very well over the year they had befriended each other. He wore his guilty looks like elaborate face paint: hard to get off and out there for everyone to see. “Hey Harry, you, uh, just going to sit there?” she finally said.

He quickly scurried from the car. “Sorry, I was just thinking.” He turned back to Antonio. “I think we can walk to the party from here, so I’ll call you when we need to get picked up, okay?”

“Yes, sir, are you sure?”

“Uh, yeah, I don’t think I want my bodyguard slash driver babysitting me at a college party,” Harry answered.

“Of course, sir, I will wait for your call.” Antonio rolled up his window and drove away.

“Right, so, are we going to just walk in, or knock or teleport inside?” Harry asked as he strode up beside Ned and Michelle.

“I say we knock. Let’s try the polite way first,” Michelle replied, taking a deep breath and marching up the stairs to the front door. Harry and Ned followed, waiting for her to make her move. She knocked rapidly on the ominous copper door, the sound echoing off the metal.

They waited for a few seconds before the door swung open. “Master Strange has told you before no solicitors!” The man called Wong was staring at them with a look of frustration. He was still in that same tunic and he was holding a large leather bound book in his hand. When he saw Michelle, his frustrated look turned to one of annoyance.

“You’re the spider’s girlfriend,” he said, and then looked at Harry and Ned suspiciously. “And who are these two?”

“We’re the spider’s friends!” Ned spoke up.

Wong didn’t move to let them enter. “Why are you here?”

“To see Peter,” Michelle said. “He’s here, isn’t he?”

“Yes, but he and Master Strange are training right now.”

“Oh, that’s fine, we can just wait until they are finished.” She stood there lamely, waiting for an invitation to be let in.

“Oh okay, that’s fine,” Wong simply said and he started to close the door on them, but Michelle put her hand on it to stop him.

“Dude, really?” she glared at him. “We don’t want to wait outside.”

“The Sanctum is not a daycare!” Wong exclaimed, balling his fists in anger.

“Oh good because we aren’t children,” Harry replied, crossing his arms across his chest in a defiant stance. Ned followed suit, trying to look as determined as Harry.

Wong pursed his lips. “I beg to differ.” They stood there in a face off, no one making any movements. Finally, Wong caved. “Fine, come in. But don’t touch anything unless you want to be whisked off to another dimension and have your insides eaten by interdimensional demons.”

“Say what now?” Harry asked as they all entered through the copper door.

“I think he’s being facetious,” Ned replied.

“Oh I’m being quite serious Mr. Leeds,” Wong replied, without turning around.

“Mr… how do you know my name!” Ned exclaimed, his eyes widening.

“Their sorcerers remember?” Harry whispered.

“Both of you shut up,” Michelle muttered. “And look.”

They all stopped in the center of the foyer and observed their surroundings. Michelle usually tried her best not to outwardly show how impressed she was with something, but it was nearly impossible to do as she stood before the red-velvet carpeted grand staircase, and deep mahogany walls adorned with bookshelves and trinkets that looked as if they stepped out of the pages of a fantasy novel. The ceiling was the most impressive; painstakingly painted as a night sky with stars bursting forth, glowing through the paint. She looked back at Harry and Ned who were both in awe of the house.

“This is the Sanctum?!” Ned sighed with wonder. “It’s like I just stepped into Hogwarts.”

“Close, except we usually don’t let teenagers in there, and I think Dumbledore’s beard is a bit ostentatious.”

They all looked up at the staircase and saw Peter standing there with a surprised look. He looked perturbed and pale. Next to him stood Doctor Strange, who looked incredulous and amused.

**_Peter’s POV_ **

“Have some of this tea, Peter,” Doctor Strange ordered, walking over to him and handing him a small porcelain cup.   Peter held it in his hands, feeling comforted by the warmth it provided his cold and clammy hands. He took a sip and grimaced. “Oh yes,” Doctor Strange added as an afterthought, “I should have warned you that the tea is made from yak butter. It’s a traditional drink from Tibet that I discovered at Kamar-taj.”

Peter looked down at the tea and set it slowly beside him. “Uh, thanks, I think I’m good now.”

“But for how long,” Strange said, standing up and pacing back and forth.

Peter still could see the deformed version of Tony vividly in his mind. He had had bad dreams before, but the ones he was having currently were completely different. “I don’t know what that means, Doc.”

“Peter, people fall asleep during meditations all of the time. That’s nothing new. But, I couldn’t wake you up. Not by normal methods.”

“Oh, so you being in my dream wasn’t normal? Phew good, I was worried we were starting to spend too much time together,” Peter joked nervously.

“Peter, it’s not funny,” Doctor Strange said with consternation. “I had to go into the dream dimension to wake you up. And it wasn’t easy.”

“There’s a dream dimension!?” Peter said with awestruck alarm. “So, you were literally inside my head?”

“No, your dreams. It’s a dimension made up of all of humanity’s subconscious psyche. It’s where everyone’s worst nightmares and best fantasies reside. It still wasn’t easy to get you up though. I’m sorry, but the next time that happens, I may not be able to wake you up again.”

Peter felt another shiver run through his body. _Never wake up again? How is that possible?_ Peter rubbed the sweat from his hands. “I don’t understand Doc, it’s just anxiety, right? Making me pass out and stuff, so how could it keep me from waking up?”

“I’m not sure, and I don’t like being unsure.” He stopped pacing and looked at Peter. “Has this happened before?”

“No,” Peter said, quickly, too quickly and Strange noticed. “Okay, fine, earlier today in chemistry class. I was talking to MJ, Ned and Harry and then I guess I passed out. MJ had to hit me, pretty hard, to get me up.”

As he spoke, the hairs on his arms stood up, and that familiar spider sense kicked in. He felt a presence behind him and spun around. Nothing was there.

“What did you see, Peter?” Doctor Strange asked him, looking more concerned.

“Huh? What? Nothing, I didn’t see anything,” Peter said quickly.

That was what he saw though, nothing. The tingle at the base of his brain still seemed to linger, but he tried to ignore it. He couldn’t understand why his spider sense was going off when he wasn’t close to any danger. _What is going on with you, spidey sense?_ He thought. He gave Strange an unconvincing smile, which Strange narrowed his eyes at.

“It’s probably just… you know, everything coming all back up because of the will and stuff.” He recoiled inside at his lame excuse.

“The will?” Doctor Strange nodded. “Yes, Tony’s will, of course.” He didn’t look convinced. “You’re anxious about it.”

Peter shrugged. “I guess,” he felt a tug in his heart. He wanted to change the subject so terribly so he decided to tell the Doctor about Michelle. “Hey Doc, I told MJ about everything…”

“Really?” Doctor Strange looked up at him in surprise. “Everything?”

“Well,” Peter admitted, “Almost everything… everything that counted anyway.”

Strange placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder in comfort. “And how’d she react?”

“Just as I thought she would. Supportive.” He omitted the part about nearly choking her in his sleep. He was worried that Doctor Strange would strap him down and examine him right there on the spot.

“Of course she would. I’m glad you told her,” Strange said, squeezing his shoulder. “And your other friends?”

“No, not all of it, just a little bit. I kind of had to because,” Peter’s eyes widened. “The time stone!”

“What about it?” Strange asked, looking at him sideways.

“Harry’s dad knew about it. He was working with Kingpin.”

“The mobster from Hell’s Kitchen?”

“Yeah, they didn’t know it was an infinity stone, but they knew it could manipulate time. They knew it was here, but they didn’t know where here was… Kingpin has been threatening Harry.”

“You told him it was destroyed?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

“Does he know there are other magical items in this house?”

Peter bit his lip. “Kinda hard to hide that fact, Doc. I mean even your name sounds magical.”

Strange pursed his lips and stroked his goatee. “Hmm, I guess you’re right. Well, he’ll have a hard time getting past our wards anyway. I’ve put up spells against humans, particularly those who intend to do us harm.” He stepped away from Peter. “Peter, I think it’s time for you to go.”

“What! But Doc, we barely did anything today!” Peter whined.

Strange grabbed Peter’s backpack and opened the door. “I know, but you’ve given me a lot to think on, and I really think I should be focusing on it right now.”

“Wait, are you talking about Kingpin because I can take care of him, don’t worry Doctor Strange, I’m all over that…”

“No, Peter,” Strange said firmly as he marched toward the stairs. “Not him, although, it would be wise for you to stay away from him. He’s dangerous; he’s not just some common criminal.”

“Thanos wasn’t some common criminal, and I held my own… mostly,” Peter raced after Doctor Strange. “I was hoping we could maybe work on magic moves, you know?”

“Maybe tomorrow, Peter,”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday!”

“OH, I’m sorry, you have something to do on Saturday? Work, perhaps?”

Peter frowned. “No, it’s just… you know, Saturday, no school, maybe hang out with MJ, you know be a teenager,” he mumbled.

Strange scoffed. As they reached the landing on the stairs, Peter heard familiar voices in the foyer that made his heartbeat speed up.

“Both of you shut up and look,” came Michelle’s voice.

Doctor Strange paused on the steps. “What the…”

 _What are they doing here!?_ Peter thought worriedly. He stared down at his girlfriend and three best friends, who were all admiring the Sanctum. Wong stood off to the side, looking more annoyed than usual.

“This is the Sanctum?! It looks like I just stepped into Hogwarts!” Ned exclaimed.

“Close, except we usually don’t let teenagers in there, and I think Dumbledore’s beard is a bit ostentatious.” Peter felt Strange place a hand on his shoulder as he strode past Peter, his cloak sweeping along behind him.

Peter looked into his friends’ faces. Ned and Harry looked quite perplexed by Doctor Strange’s presence, Michelle looked unimpressed.

“Funny that you think Dumbledore’s ostentatious when you have that cloak on,” she snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Ah, Miss Jones, it’s good to see you again too,” Doctor Strange said, stopping in front of them. “And I’m guessing you’re Mr. Leeds,” he turned to Ned and held out his hand. Ned just stared at him open-mouthed. Doctor Strange raised an eyebrow. “And, you are Harry Osborn. I’ve seen your face all over TV,” he said turning to Harry and holding his hand out.

Harry managed to compose himself and shook Doctor Strange’s hand. “Er, yeah, the price you pay for being rich.” He looked over at Peter, and Peter swore he saw a strange expression flicker across his face; one that made Peter uneasy.

Strange smirked. “Yes, I am all too familiar with that… or at least I was before my accident.” He held his hands out in front of the three teenagers, who all stared at the long-faded scars on his fingers.

“Wait, are you really a doctor?” Ned asked him.

“I used to be, not so long ago, although it seems like it’s been ages.” He pulled his hands back and clasped his hands together. “So, what brings you three down to the Sanctum on this fine Friday evening? Besides to make Wong irritated.” Peter saw him flash his companion a playful grin. Wong scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“We’ve come to get Peter,” Michelle said firmly, taking a step forward.

“Why?” Peter asked, feeling guarded.

“Excellent because he was just leaving!” Strange exclaimed, grabbing Peter’s shoulders and steering him toward his friends.

“Wait, hold up, why are you here to get me?” Peter said, pushing back on his heels to stop Doctor Strange. “I mean wouldn’t a text have been easier?”

“MJ’s taking us to a party!” Ned said happily.

“A party?” Peter looked at Michelle with surprise. “You’re taking us to a party?” Now it was Michelle’s turn to roll her eyes.

“I know, I too, was surprised,” Harry replied.

“Some of the interns are having a party tonight, I thought… I thought it might be good for you,” Michelle explained.

Peter looked at her warily. He could already feel the anxiety building up inside, the sweat starting to form on his palms and under his arms. Then he felt a heavy push from behind and turned his head to see Doctor Strange once again pushing him.

“A party! Yes, I think that’s a wonderful idea!” Strange cried out. “Peter, you’re seventeen years old, you need to have a little fun in your life. Can’t always be running around in tights catching criminals.”

“They aren’t tights! That’s a highly weaponized suit that Mr. Stark built!” Peter cried out, his face reddening.

“All the same, I think it’d be good for you to go to a party. Get drunk, flirt with some girls,”

“Excuse me?” Michelle interjected.

“I was talking to those two!” Strange said, quickly pointing to Ned and Harry, but giving Peter a look like he made a terrible mistake. “Go make some bad decisions like teenagers usually make, eat some Tide pods or something.”

“That sounds like awful advice, Mister Strange,” Ned protested.

“It’s Doctor, actually, and yes, well, I was never meant to be a father, obviously.” He ushered all of them toward the front door. “Peter, I will see you tomorrow. Mr. Leeds, Mr. Osborn, wonderful to meet you. Miss Jones…. Always a pleasure.”

Michelle just rolled her eyes and grunted.

Peter paused at the door. “Doctor Strange, please….” He looked pleadingly at Doctor Strange, hoping for a way out, a reprieve from the possibility of trying to socialize.

“Peter, come on,” Michelle said, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the Sanctum. Peter looked back at her and realized his own mistake quickly: Michelle never was one to lay her emotions bare, but in that single moment her wide eyes and tense muscles spoke volumes.

“Yeah Pete, when’s the last time the four of us did anything fun?” Harry added, slinging his arm around Peter’s shoulder.

“You’ll be fine, Peter. Go, have fun. I’ll be here… doing adult things… super boring, promise,” Doctor Strange said encouragingly. He gave Peter a wink and then shut the door behind him.

Peter stood there for a second, contemplating throwing on his web shooters and getting out of there. But then he remembered Michelle’s face. He turned to look at her. “So…. Are all the interns gonna be there?” he asked, thinking about the boy from the other night.

Michelle’s eyes widened. “Are you… seriously? UGH, come on,” she pulled him along and he couldn’t help but smile.

**_Doctor Strange’s POV_ **

He closed the door behind him and then turned and leaned against it, rubbing his face in his hands.

“Strange, I’m beginning to think we’re running an after-school program for wayward genius kids,” Wong said testily, approaching him. “This is not what the Sanctum is for. It is a dangerous place for these untrained minds, and you just let them prance around here like tourists!”

 _He has a point_ , Strange thought, as the wheels in his mind spun around. He kept thinking back to Peter’s dream, the creature that was attacking him. “Wong, demonic possession… have you seen it before?”

Wong stepped back. “What? What on earth would make you ask that?”

Strange looked up at him expectantly. “Please Wong.”

He gave Strange a confused look and continued. “Yes, nasty business back in China. A small child was possessed by a demon from the dark dimension before. Crawled on the walls, tried to eat its dog, all that nonsense. We got it out and sent it back.”

 _Hmmm, Peter hasn’t exhibited any of those signs. He seems perfectly normal. Yet, he continues to pass out and I know he’s sensing something dangerous._ “What about dreams, Wong. Have you come across any demons that attack you in your dreams?”

Wong shook his head. “No, I haven’t. Why do you ask?” His eyes widened. “Is this about Mr. Parker?”

Strange scratched his goatee. “Yes, but I’m not sure what I’m grasping at here. Just before we came down, I had asked him to meditate with me, and he passed out, but I couldn’t wake him. I had to enter the dream dimension to get him out. What could be trying to keep him there?”

He watched as Wong searched his own  mind. “Cagliostro, where is it?”

Strange pointed to the library and Wong headed straight into it, Strange at his heels. He seemed suddenly wound up and apprehensive as he walked quickly to the large tome sitting atop its stand. He opened it up. “It has been years since I have heard of him… The Ancient One defeated him centuries ago...” he started thumbing through the pages quickly. “It would be impossible though,” he continued to mumble to himself.

“Uh, Wong, I don’t understand you when you grumble to yourself, care to enlighten the Sorcerer Supreme?” Strange asked, getting aggravated.

Wong stopped on a page and studied it carefully. “Hmm? Yes, sorry. The dream dimension used to be controlled by a Class Three demon called Nightmare. He was a deadly figure who fed off humans’ fear and pain. The Ancient One used a spell in this book to trap him inside it, leaving humans to dream peacefully, or as peacefully as one could dream without getting their soul trapped by Nightmare.”

Strange felt a panic rise in his chest. “Feeding on fear?” he echoed, remembering something the dream version of Tony had said to Peter before Strange attacked him. _“They didn’t have my fear,”_ the dream Tony had said. Strange had no idea what he meant, but now, he was getting a sinking feeling. “Could he escape the book?”

Wong looked down at the book and examined it. “I wouldn’t know if he did, but the only way to release him is to read this spell here,” he pointed to the next page. “Its in ancient Nepali, so I doubt someone like Peter could read it. He’s a smart child, but not that smart.”

Strange remembered something else. “But, the walls between dimensions are weak here, so if there was some way for him to reach Peter, some way for him to enter his dreams without being let out…”

“Possibly, but that’s why we use the protection spells on our minds to help guard us from influence. You did put one on Peter when he started coming here, didn’t you?”

Strange felt the panic start to crowd his major organs. It made it hard to breathe. He stepped away from the book.

“Strange, tell me you haven’t been letting a suffering child, weak and susceptible to influence into the Sanctum every night and haven’t put a protection spell on him,” Wong said warningly, glaring at Strange.

Strange looked up at Wong, “Oh come on, like you remembered to do it either.”

“I’m not the one who Tony Stark asked to take care of him!” Wong exclaimed. “You realize now, that what you’re hypothesizing is that Peter may be taken in by a demon? And a Class Three demon at that!?”

“Yes, I realize this very clearly Wong, thank you for your bluntness,” Strange muttered sarcastically. He shut the book and stalked over to the corner of the library and started looking through books.

“What are you doing, Strange?”

“Well, if this is indeed the case, then we better start looking for a solution because Mr. Parker is only getting worse, and it’s just a matter of time until we have a larger problem on our hands.”

Wong sighed and shook his head. “This is why I should have stayed at the Hong Kong sanctum.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the next chapter, where the foursome get to experience their first college party... yeah, let's see how that goes!


	12. A Little Party Never Killed Nobody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Call this a teaser chapter. :) Enjoy!!

**_Harry’s POV_ **

He hung back as the four of them walked through Greenwich Village toward Michelle’s friends’ apartment. The sun was setting quickly on their walk, and Harry noticed the street lamps starting to turn on as they walked. It was a beautiful night, and one that was completely lost on him.

He still couldn’t shake the rage building inside him as he looked upon Peter. Peter Parker, the boy who everyone doted on. Peter Parker, the boy with the special powers who got all the attention. Peter Parker, the boy who thought he knew better than everyone else. 

 _Give him the benefit of the doubt, man, he’s hurting,_ the better part of Harry told himself. But then again, Harry was hurting too. He was hurting all the time, and no one cared. At least Peter knew his parents, his uncle, and even Tony loved him. Harry’s father nearly killed him and he was too young to ever really know his mother. He shook his head and kicked a crumpled-up piece of paper into the street. No, he was certain he was making the right call when he decided to work with Fisk. Peter would forgive him eventually. It was Peter, after all. That’s what he did. Harry wasn’t even sure if Peter knew how to hold a grudge, how to stay angry at someone.

 _It’ll be okay, because whatever me and Fisk find, I’ll use it to help Peter. I’ll bring back Tony, and that’ll make everything even between us_ , he thought. If Peter had Tony, he’d be happy again, Harry was sure of it. And if he was happy, he couldn’t possibly stay mad at Harry for going behind his back.

His phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket.

HOW WAS IT?

Harry glanced up at Peter and Michelle, who were out in front, holding hands as they walked down the street. Neither one seemed to be paying attention to him, and Ned was engrossed in the scenery.

IT LOOKS MAGICAL. THE GUY WHO RUNS IT IS DEFINITELY A WIZARD.

….. SO WHEN CAN WE GET IN THERE AND LOOK AROUND?

SOON, JUST NEED TO SEE IF SPIDER-MAN CAN GET THE WIZARD OUT OF THE HOUSE.

WELL WORK ON THAT QUICKLY THEN MR. OSBORN.

“Hey Harry, texting Felicia?” Ned called out, turning around to look at him.

Harry clicked his screen off and shoved his phone in his pocket. “Uh, yeah, just making sure she doesn’t get jealous that I’m gonna probably hook up with some hot chicks tonight.”

He jogged up to the three of them as they stopped in front of a slim, three-story townhome. All of the windows on the first and second floor were dark, but the windows in the third story were alight, shadows dancing behind the blinds. They could hear the faint sound of hip hop music playing.

“So, what kind of party is this, exactly?” Harry asked, stepping up beside Peter. He clenched his fists, trying to hold in the need to spout off something rude to him.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll fit right in,” Michelle replied and took a step toward the front door.

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

She was always the observant one in the group, and she could tell something was wrong with Peter. Something that more than what had happened in chemistry class earlier that day. She squeezed his hand as her way of asking him.

He looked over at her, and she could see the ghost of something in his eyes. “Something happened today at the Sanctum,” he said in a low voice.

She felt Ned’s breath behind her neck. “Jesus, Ned,” she hissed.

“Sorry, I…”

“It’s okay,” Peter said, looking back at his friend with a compassionate smile. He glanced further back and noticed Harry on his phone. “I just don’t… I don’t want to bring it up in front of Harry because of what happened today…”

“That’s okay, he’s clearly not interested in communicating with us either, so…” Michelle pulled Peter’s attention back onto her and Ned. “What happened?”

“So, Doctor Strange wanted me to try meditation to help with how I’ve been feeling, and I passed out during it.”

“I would too, meditation sounds so boring,” Ned groaned.

Michelle shot Ned a withering look, and he reddened.

“You’re right Ned, it did sound boring. Except Doc was floating in the air when he was doing it, so that made it look cooler.” Peter cleared his throat, “Anyway, so when I passed out I had this dream… okay more like a nightmare… and Norman was there, Scorpion was there, Liz’s dad was there and his Shocker buddy…”

“Liz’s dad?! That’s weird,” Ned interjected.

“It was! And they were all attacking me and I couldn’t… I couldn’t… I couldn’t beat them… and then when I thought they were going to get me, Tony appeared.” Peter paused, and Michelle prayed inside that he wouldn’t start having a panic attack right there. She squeezed his hand again. “Yeah, sorry. So, he started transforming into something…. I’m not even sure what,”

“Then what happened?!” Ned asked breathlessly.

“Uh Doctor Strange appeared.”

“In your dream? That’s super weird,” Ned said.

“Well, it wasn’t like a dream version of him, it was _actually_ him. _He entered my dreams_.”

“He can do that!?” Ned looked completely flabbergasted.

“Does he do that for fun?” Michelle asked, feeling perturbed by the information.

“Uh, I don’t think so. But he helped me wake up, he said it was the only way he could get me out it.”

Michelle thought about how hard she had to hit Peter to wake him up back at school. The fact that it happened a second time worried her. Thinking about the incident at the school made her look back at Harry. He was engrossed in his cellphone, a frown set upon his face. Michelle knew that whoever he was talking to was not good. When Harry kept secrets, it was usually not for a good reason. She frowned and turned back to Ned and Peter’s conversation.

“Are you possessed or something?” Ned asked him.

“Possess… What!? Dude, no I don’t think I’m possessed,” Peter exclaimed. “This isn’t the Exorcist! I’m not like projectile vomiting and talking in funny voices, am I?”

He glanced over at Michelle with a half-smile; half-amused, half-guilty, and she realized he was thinking about that morning and what happened between them. She could still faintly feel the pressure of his hands around her neck. “That wasn’t possession,” she said quietly. “That was like… sleepwalking or something.” She gave Peter a reassuring smile.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from Peter’s pocket. “Peter, police scanners indicate a robbery on 35th street,” said Karen from his phone as he pulled it out of his pocket. Michelle watched as a conflicted look passed over his face.

“Nope, not tonight,” Peter said determinedly, putting his phone on silent and slipping it back into his pocket. “Party time.”

“Seriously?” Ned asked him, a tone of surprise to his voice.

“Seriously,” Peter said, giving Ned and then Michelle a confident smile. “If Doc wants me to go to a party, then go to a party I shall.”

Michelle smiled back at him, but deep down, she knew he wanted to suit up and web away. She could just tell by the twitch in his hand as he slowly clenched and unclenched it near his phone. She looked down at her own phone, noticing that they were about to approach the Lily and Gwen’s apartment. “It looks like we’re about here,” she said, as her eyes scanned the numbers on the doors. “So, I’m not really sure how to prepare you guys for this because I have no idea what to expect.”

“It’s okay, I’ve seen enough movies; I know how college parties are,” Ned replied.

Michelle reeled around and looked him square in the eye. “Really? From movies? Please, Ned, enlighten us on how college parties are.”

She noticed Peter trying to hold in a laugh.

“You know, keg stands and lots of ecstasy,”

“Ecstasy!? Jesus, Ned, what movies are you watching?!” Peter laughed. It was the first time Michelle thought she had heard Peter genuinely laugh in several months.

“22 Jump Street!”

“I thought they made a synthetic drug in that film,” Peter commented. “You know like at the last party we went to last year.” They all glanced back at Harry, the memory of Flash’s party and the Oz-induced fight that ensued.

 “I don’t think there’s going to be ecstasy or any other type of drug here. These guys are a bunch of interns for the ACLU,” Michelle said, stopping in front of a slim townhouse with three stories. “They are more concerned with equality and justice, not getting wasted.” She looked up and noticed that the top floor of the building had all the lights on, and they could hear a rhythmic beat coming from the inside – and it was where they were supposed to go.

“Well, looks like somebody’s having a good time,” Ned commented, as they stopped behind her. She felt dread deep in the pit of her stomach, realizing she may have been wrong about her assumption of what the party would entail. She then heard Ned shout to Harry about Felicia, and heard Harry jogging up to them.

“So, what kind of party is this, exactly?” Harry asked, stepping up beside Peter.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll fit right in,” Michelle replied, giving him a sideways glance. She was still a little suspicious about his texting, and was half-tempted to ask him about it, but decided to let it slide. She now had to deal with socializing with other people who weren’t her boyfriend or best friend. She took a deep breath; it was going to be a long night.

**_Peter’s POV_ **

Peter tensed up again as Harry came up beside him. He wasn’t sure why; but his spider senses had been tingling ever since they left the house, and he couldn’t help but think it was because of Harry. He knew it was stupid – his spider sense only detected danger or a threat, and Harry wasn’t anyone of those – but something just didn’t seem right, and Peter couldn’t pin point it.

He watched as Michelle left his other side and started up the stairs to the entry way to the small townhouse-turned apartment building. He followed her up the stairs, Harry and Ned behind him.

“So, Pete, you planning on drinking tonight? Getting a little wild?” Harry asked him as they climbed the stairs to the third floor.

“Um, I don’t know, maybe,” Peter said. He hadn’t thought about it before Harry had asked him, and now the thought made him feel a little sick. “I don’t know if it’d be worth it anyway.”

“Why not? OH, come on, Peter, don’t tell me being Spider-Man means doing normal teenage things is off the table,” Harry groaned.

“Drinking is not a normal teenager thing!” Peter exclaimed. “And now that we’re here, can we cool it with the Spidey talk?”

Harry grunted and rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Idermanspay,” He mumbled.

“Hey I wonder how much you’d have to drink to get drunk anyway,” Ned piped up.

“What do you mean?” Peter asked.

“Well, you have a faster metabolism, right? So, you probably metabolize alcohol faster than we do. So how much would you have to drink?”

“I don’t know because I never tried,” Peter replied, remembering the last party they were all at and how drinking led to him and Ned getting into a brawl. “I’m sure it’d have to be a lot. Maybe we should test it out tonight…”

“Not a good idea,” Michelle called out from the top of the stairs. She was standing in front of the door to the apartment full of music and people.

“If you, two, whip out your TI-83’s while we’re in there, I’m leaving and pretending I don’t know you,” Harry said, rolling his eyes. “I am curious now too; how much would it take to get Peter Parker drunker than a skunk? Man, this’ll be better than any of the college parties I went to back at boarding school.”

“Wait, how did you go to college parties?” Ned asked him.

Harry looked back at them with a smug look. “I went to boarding school up north, we hung out at college parties at Harvard and MIT all the time. I used to party all the time before I started hanging out with you three.”

“All right Van Wilder, let’s get this over with,” Michelle said, knocking on the door as loudly as she could. Peter stepped up next to her and took her hand. She looked over at him, surprised that he made contact with her first, and she smiled at him for the first time all day; the kind of smile she only ever gave him – genuine and happy.

It didn’t make Peter feel any better though.  He felt that uneasy churn in his stomach return. He hated parties. They all did – except Harry – so the fact that they were going to this thing made no sense to him. If they wanted Peter to have fun, couldn’t they have done something else that didn’t put him in such a precarious position?

The door swung open, and a large shadow filled the doorway as the music that was muffled from the outside suddenly burst through, nearly deafening them. As the figure stepped out into the hallway, he said with a sly grin, “Michelle Jones.”

“Oh no,” Michelle muttered under her breath. Peter caught a strange look passing her face; one filled with dread, and as the shadows left the boy’s face, Peter knew why – it was the boy from the other night, the one who was too close to Michelle. He tensed up again, the churning in his stomach getting stronger.

Eddie looked them all over and his eyes stopped at Peter. His grin widened. “And you brought the boyfriend!” He exclaimed excitedly, although his tone said otherwise. He stuck his hand out. “Eddie Brock.”

Peter grabbed his hand and shook firmly. “Peter Parker,” he said, returning the boy’s greeting, gripping his hand harder than he probably expected. Eddie winced and pulled away.

“Wow, you’re stronger than you look,” He commented, shaking the pain away. Peter felt Michelle’s foot go down hard on his foot and he winced himself.

‘Sorry,’ he mouthed to her, and she just shook her head.

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Peter said, shrugging.

“Right,” Michelle made a move to go inside. “So, I thought this was just an intern party….”

Eddie grinned. “Well, you know Gwen and Lily – they told their sorority sisters, who had to come over and then they invited some frat guys, and well, here we are.” Peter didn’t like the way his eyes kept lingering over Michelle’s body. If Peter had any of Dr. Banner’s abilities, he was pretty sure he’d have already turned green by now.

“I should be surprised, but I’m not,” Michelle replied. “And I’m sure you already have several of their friends on your agenda tonight,” she said sarcastically.

Eddie gripped his heart in mock horror. “Oh, come on Michelle, you know me better than that. I’m a one-woman kinda man,” he winked at her, and Peter could feel his jaw drop at Eddie’s blatant flirting.  “Come on inside, let’s get you guys some drinks.”

He turned and started walking back into the apartment, and as they all entered the apartment, Harry said, “I had no idea why you’d want to go to a party, MJ, but now I know exactly why.”

Peter caught Michelle shooting daggers at Harry, who just chuckled and started observing their surroundings instead. Michelle then saw Peter looking at her, and she quickly turned her head straight and focused in on their destination. Peter’s stomach twisted up even more.

Eddie led them into the foyer of the small apartment, which was dimly lit by a frosted light covering directly above them. Peter craned his neck around to survey the other people in the apartment. Directly in front of them was a closet with a washer and dryer, and a girl in too short jean shorts and long, red hair was sitting atop the washer, giggling as she downed a red Solo cup filled with some type of alcohol, while the boy with khaki cargo shorts, a button-down tee and dark hair slicked back caressed her bare leg softly, making jokes that Peter was sure weren’t actually funny if she were sober.

Eddie took them into the crowded living area where two Bluetooth speakers were blasting out a dance song with a heavy beat. Peter could feel the bass pounding throughout his body. It made his head hurt. But it could have also been his spider senses which seemed to come and go frequently. _Maybe I should talk Dr. Banner about my spider senses. He understands how the radiation affected my genes, maybe he can help_ , Peter thought. Suddenly, he felt that strange feeling that someone was watching him, and he quickly turned his head, looking directly at Ned. Ned gave him thumbs up, and Peter weakly gave him one back. However, it wasn’t Ned that Peter thought he saw. He just wasn’t sure what it was. _Okay, I’m definitely going crazy_ , he thought bitterly, turning back to face Eddie and Michelle.

“Hey guys, Michelle’s here!” Eddie shouted over the music. A few heads turned, and one of them was a cute blonde-haired girl with a wide red headband. She was sitting on the end of one of the couches near the corner of the small living area, a sandy-blonde haired guy nearly on top of her, trailing kisses down her neck. Her bright blue eyes widened when she saw them, and she jumped up, pushing the guy off of her.

“Hey I’m going to look for something to drink,” Harry called out to them before making his way to the narrow kitchen that was crowded with people.

“Michelle, hey!” The blonde girl exclaimed coming up and hugging Michelle. “I am so glad you made it!”

“Thanks,” Michelle said unenthusiastically. She crossed her arms over her chest and formed her usual defensive stance.

“Hey where’s Lily? I know she’s dying to meet that Osborn guy, I should let her know he’s here,” Eddie said, his eyes drifting to Michelle once more. Peter tried to hold back the need to pull out his Spider-Man moves on him.

“She’s over there fending off some of the guys from Alpha Sigma Pi,” Gwen sighed. “She’s just so pretty. I’m very jealous.”

“You’re pretty!” Ned blurted out, his face instantly going red.

Peter turned his head slowly and looked at Ned and shook his head. “Play it cool, man,” Peter muttered. He turned back around and found Gwen staring at him. Her blue eyes were so bright and inviting, and her lips were pursed in such a way that it made Peter uncomfortable below his stomach. He hoped Michelle didn’t noticed his body’s reaction toward this blonde-haired Gwen.

“Oh, um, thanks,” Gwen said, her smile growing as she looked Peter up and down. She giggled and took Peter’s hand, shaking it slowly. “You’re cute, I’m Gwen Stacy, What’s your name?”

“That’s Peter, my boyfriend,” Michelle cut in, glaring at Gwen. Peter felt his cheeks burning. He thought he heard Eddie say ‘Are you kidding me?’ under this breath. Peter felt an upward at the corner of his mouth.

Gwen’s smile faded instantly and was replaced with a soft ‘O’ shape. “I thought you made him up so that Eddie would back off!” she exclaimed.

Michelle rolled her eyes. “No Gwen, I wouldn’t lie like that.” Peter saw her eyes flicker over toward Eddie, who had turned away from the conversation. Peter had no doubts that Eddie liked Michelle. He made it very clear. But Peter was starting to wonder if Michelle liked him back. _IF she did, it’s your fault, Parker. You’re the one who ignored her for months,_ he thought bitterly.

“Well, then, aren’t you the lucky one,” Gwen replied in her attempt at recovering the situation. Peter hated the uncomfortable feeling that had surrounded the room at that moment and tried to move the conversation away from his looks. He thought about Gwen, and then realized he had heard her surname before. “Wait, Gwen Stacy… is your dad Captain Stacy?”

Gwen smirked and placed her hands on her hips. “Yes, of the NYPD. Please don’t tell me you’re some kind of siren chaser.”

Peter shook his head. “Uh, no, I just read a lot of news,” he replied, trying to conceal the real reason he knew the police captain’s name so well. “He, uh, doesn’t like Spider-Man very much.”

Gwen waved her hand apathetically. “Psht, my father lives in the past. He thinks anyone who’s not working for the police are enemies. But you can’t expect these people like Spider-Man and the Avengers to try to work with the bureaucratic system… it’s just impossible.” She sighed. “It’s just a shame really, because Spider-Man is really hot.”  

“Seriously? Gwen, you’ve never seen the guy’s face, no one has,” Eddie remarked, turning back around and raising an eyebrow.

“Sure, but the mask makes him so mysterious and therefore hot, and God, that outfit hides nothing and reveals everything, if you get me,” she replied, winking at Peter, who felt his cheeks start to burn again. “I’d like to get my hands one whatever is underneath that spandex.”

“Oh my God, Gwen,” Michelle groaned.

“OH, come on, Michelle, whatever, you’re the one always defending Spider-Man. You have just as much of a crush on him as I do,” she replied stoutly.

Peter turned and looked at Michelle with a grin. He felt proud in that moment; she felt his gaze on her and she turned and looked at him straight-faced. He faltered a bit.

“Gwen, I don’t have a crush on Spider-Man,” Michelle replied.

“Yes, you do, admit it! Sorry, Peter, but she does,” Gwen nudged, winking at him again. She really needed to stop the winking, it wasn’t helping Peter’s situation at all.

“Oh, well, that’s okay, everyone has crushes some time or another,” Peter replied, weakly, looking back over at Michelle.

She just rolled her eyes and muttered, “You’re really enjoying this aren’t you?”

He grinned. “A little bit, we need to talk about this Spidey crush later back in my bedroom,” he whispered back, and he finally saw the corner of her twitch into a smile.

“Can we stop talking about the weirdo who runs around New York climbing walls for fun, please!?” Eddie exclaimed, clearly unhappy he wasn’t the center of Michelle’s attention.

Harry returned then with four red cups. “All right, here’s a jungle juice for you, milady, you good sir, and you, Ned,” he handed them out to Peter, Michelle and Ned carefully, so as to not spill. He then took a drink of his own and turned to face Gwen. “Well, hello there, who are you?”

Gwen smiled. “I’m Gwen,” she said, giving him a cute little wave. “And you must be Harry Osborn.”

Harry took a sip of his drink and grinned. “You got it. What gave it away, the $200 shirt I’m wearing?”

Peter glanced back at Ned and they both rolled their eyes. He wished he could afford a shirt like that. Hell, Peter would have settled for $200 toward a whole new wardrobe. He put the cup to his lips and took a sip. Instantly, his face crumpled up in disgust. The drink burned as it went down.

“Oh, sorry, we were a little short on the juice part, so there might be a bit more alcohol in there than normal,” Gwen said, giving Peter a sympathetic look.

“Yeah, no, I’m good. It just… not used to it, that’s all,” Peter admitted.

“Yeah you look too straight laced to be drinking underage,” Eddie commented, smirking at him.

“Pete’s all morals, buddy, he doesn’t like gray areas,” Harry agreed, his eyes flashing in Peter’s direction. Peter felt that tingle at the base of his neck again and looked at Harry cagily.

“Ooh, Harry, actually, there’s someone dying to meet you,” Gwen suddenly piped up, and Peter could feel that tingle go away. “LILY!” she shouted.

Another blonde-haired girl hurried out of the kitchen. “Jeez, Gwen, why are you screaming!?” She cried out as she marched up to her. “You know I….” she paused when her eye caught sight of Harry. “Oh…. My… God… You’re…”

Harry stepped forward and took her hand. “Harry Osborn.” He bent down and kissed her knuckles and she started giggling profusely. Peter heard Michelle grunt in annoyance.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” she gushed her face getting flushed.

“Lily, here, has a huge crush on you,” Gwen said.

“Gwen! Shut up!” Lily cried out.

Harry took her hand. “I gotta admit, Lily, I’m sort of crushing on you right now,” he said in a seductive voice, making Lily’s eyes go wide with admiration. Peter couldn’t understand how he could be so smooth. Peter was terrible with girls. He was surprised Michelle even liked him sometime. _Or used to like me._ “You, uh, wanna go somewhere and talk about this mutual crush situation we got going on?” Harry asked her. She nodded mutely, and he started pulling her away. “Have fun guys!” he called out over his shoulder.

“How does he do that?!” Ned whispered in shock. Peter just shrugged.

Suddenly, Gwen grabbed Michelle’s elbow. “Come on, there are some people I want you to meet,” she said, pulling Michelle away.

“What… I…” she looked back at Peter, and he gave her a half-hearted wave goodbye. As Michelle and Gwen left, Peter realized it was just him, Ned and Eddie standing there. Peter did not like that situation.

Eddie’s eyes turned on him, and the smile he had on his face left. “So, I gotta know, how does a guy like you get someone like her?”

Peter’s eyebrows shot up. _Seriously?_  “I don’t know, maybe it’s my winning personality,” he replied in a joking manner.  

Eddie shook his head. “Well, you’re a lucky guy… Michelle is a rare kind of girl.”

“That’s an interesting way to describe her, rare,” Ned commented. “I would have gone with antisocial with a touch of badass,” he muttered to Peter. Peter grinned.

Peter watched Eddie’s face, as he searched for his next retort. “So, she also told me you’re a genius too,” he said, stepping closer.

Peter gulped. “Uh, yeah, I don’t know about that, I mean…”

“Peter’s top of our class,” Ned said, coming to his defense.

“Yeah that’s what she said. So, you got big plans come graduation, don’t you?”

“Uh, I…I…I don’t know what you mean…”

“MIT, Michelle said that’s where you’re gonna go.”

“Oh, right, um, well, that was the plan, but some things are kind of up in the air right now, so I’m not really sure…”

“That’s a shame though. How are you two gonna make it work?”

Peter looked at him in surprise. “Uh, what? Me and MJ?”

“MJ?” Eddie pursed his lips; He clearly didn’t like that Peter used a nickname for her. Eddie’s eyes narrowed. “Okay, yeah MJ. I mean, she wants to go to NYU, right? And MIT is Boston… you know the rate at which long distance relationships work, don’t you?”

Peter felt a sinking feeling in stomach. He took another gulp of the jungle juice, this time ignoring the harsh burning as it slid down his throat. “Well, nothing’s for certain yet. But me and MJ, I think we can make it work. We’ve been through some stuff.”

Eddie grinned. “Yeah, but long-distance is different. You really have to trust each other, ya know? And Michelle is a really beautiful and smart girl… how long do you think it’ll be until she decides you’re no longer worth the distance?”

Peter tried to hide the fact that Eddie’s words were getting to him. He hadn’t thought about that; he hadn’t thought much past how the reading of Tony’s will would go. He suddenly felt the tingle in his body reappear, and he thought he saw something behind Eddie. He tried to peer around him, but Eddie’s muscular build seem to be taking up all of Peter’s vision. “Well, if MJ doesn’t want to be with me anymore, I wouldn’t force her,” Peter finally said, feeling helpless as the tingling sensation passed and whatever he thought he saw disappeared.

Eddie grinned and clapped his large hand on Peter’s shoulder. “That’s a good man, Peter. Don’t worry though, I’ll take good care of Michelle next year when she goes to NYU.” He gave Peter a condescending wink and then moved away from him and Ned, leaving Peter speechless.


	13. Pour It Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was listening to a lot of Rihanna during this chapter... not sure why. Of course the party isn't over!

**_Peter’s POV_ **

Peter stared after Eddie, slightly in shock. “Dude!” Ned exclaimed angrily grabbing Peter by the arm. “Why didn’t you punch him or something!? I mean, you realize he totally has a thing for MJ right?”

Peter turned and looked at Ned with round eyes. “I… I dunno… I froze, I guess. He’s not some guy robbing a bank or an alien trying to take over New York, Ned. He’s just a regular guy, and I could see why MJ likes him.”

“Peter, MJ does not like that douche bag.”

“That’s not what Harry thinks.”

“Harry’s an idiot sometimes,” Ned replied. Peter snorted. “Look, MJ loves you, man. I know she does. She worries about you a lot. So, just chill and ignore that guy.”

Peter was taken back by Ned’s rare inspirational speech. He suddenly realized he was standing there with his best friend, who’d been there for him through a lot; from the first day of Kindergarten to his early days as Spider-Man. Peter realized he had been taking advantage of Ned always being there, and he wanted to change that right at that moment.

“Thanks, man. I really appreciate that pep talk.” Ned gave him a self-assured smile. “So… about that little drink experiment we talked about earlier…”

“Yeah? Okay, let’s do it!” He grabbed Peter’s hand and they made their way over to the tiny galley kitchen. It was clearly overcrowded, but none of the people in there seemed to mind. A guy was in the corner lifting a girl up to drink out of a metal keg, and the other people around him were cheering. Ned managed to sneak behind them and grab a bottle of amber-color liquor and a couple of smaller cups that were tucked away. He returned and held the bottle up for Peter to see.

“Jack Daniels,” Peter read. “That’s a whiskey, right?”

Ned shrugged. “I guess, I think I heard it in a country song once… so it’s gotta be whiskey.” They started walking back toward the foyer, and Ned started going over the science of it all – Peter’s metabolic rate and how much alcohol he’d have to consume to get drunk - and Peter couldn’t help but pause to see what Michelle was doing.

He found her sitting on the couch with Gwen and a few other people Peter assumed were interns. He noticed Eddie was sitting next to her. Peter pushed back the fear in his mind and turned quickly back to follow Ned. He realized how little he knew about Michelle’s internship. They were always so busy talking about him and his problems, he didn’t stop to ask her about hers. _Man, my guilt level is at a critical level tonight,_ Peter thought.

Since the apartment wasn’t very large, Peter also noticed Harry in another corner of the room, pressed up against the wall by that girl Lily. Her hands were around his neck and he was whispering something in her ear that made her laugh. He caught Peter’s eye, and his smile flattened. Peter cringed when he realized he was caught and gave Harry a little wave. Harry nodded tersely at him before turning his attention back to Lily. Peter could feel his spider senses start to act up again and he shook his head. _Stop it, stupid spider senses! There is no danger here, except possible liver failure_ , he thought angrily.

 The hallway on the other side of the tiny foyer was fairly empty, save for a girl parked in the far corner sobbing into her cell phone. Peter saw a door slightly ajar and pushed it open. It was a bathroom. “Hey, let’s go in here,” Peter said. They walked and shut the door. “Okay, so, what, we just start taking shots and see what happens?”

Ned shook his head. “I think it might be best if I take like a shot for every five shots you take. We know what happened the last time I drank too much.”

Peter nodded. “Okay.” Ned poured Peter his first shot, and his own and they raised their glasses.

“To being at dumb parties we don’t want to be at,” Ned cheered. Peter laughed and they clinked their glasses together. They downed their shots and both of them started gagging. “Man, how do adults do this stuff?” Ned asked, pouring Peter another shot.

“I don’t know; Tony could just drink this stuff like it was water. Pretty sure his stomach was also made out of titanium alloy,” Peter joked.  Ned started to pour himself one, but Peter stopped him. “One for every five, dude, remember? I mean I can carry you, but I don’t want to,” Peter said.

“Oh right, yeah, sorry, forgot my own rule already.” He handed Peter the shot and he took it quickly.

And so began their test of Peter’s toxicity levels. Ned continued pouring Peter shots, pouring himself one every so often. Slowly, Peter felt his mind relaxing, as they continued taking shots. Ned was talking about his summer and everything that Peter had missed while he was fighting crime. Peter nodded along and continued taking his shots.

Peter made it to about twenty before he felt a little light-headed. Ned had to go steal another bottle of alcohol, this one clear, but Peter was having a hard time making out the name of it. Peter took another shot, and he rubbed his temples, his eyesight becoming a bit fuzzy. It was almost like when he used to wear glasses, before the spider bite. Ned then started talking about his Quin Jet Lego set.

“Man, Ned. I should have been helping you build that. I’m so sorry,” Peter said remorsefully as a sudden overwhelming need to apologize hit him hard. “I’m sorryforeverything, man. I should beeee there for youuu. Hanging out with you… Imsosorry…” He wasn’t sure, but he thought his words were starting to run together.

Ned sloppily set his hand, wet from spilling some of the alcohol, onto Peter’s chest and slowly wiped it off. “Peter, shhh, it’s okay,” Ned said, placing a finger to Peter’s lips and taking another shot at the same time. He handed Peter another one, and Peter downed it. “Your stuff is way more important than a Lego set.” He hiccupped.

“No… no… no, it’s not, Ned. I gotta… I just gotta…” and then Peter just started babbling. It was as if a fountain of thoughts and feelings just came gushing out him, and he spilled it all onto Ned. Ned sat there, taking it, his eyes wide his mouth slightly hung open from Peter’s sudden urge to just divulge everything. Peter was pretty sure he covered the basics; the big purple alien, the spaceship, the Infinity Stones, dying, everyone else dying, and everything getting set right.  He was out of breath by the time he was finished. Peter took a deep breath and looked at Ned’s face round with wonder. “Yeah, so, uh, that’s pretty much all of it,” Peter said shortly.

Ned reached for the bottle of alcohol without taking his eyes off of Peter, poured the alcohol into his shot glass and took another shot. “So… did… I… die?” he asked slowly.

Peter shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think you’d want to know if you did.”

“Wow, dude, I mean… I had no idea all of that happened… I mean, Peter, that’s a lot more to deal with than stopping bank robbers.”

“I knooowww,” Peter said. “That’s what I’ve been so weird. I just need to process it all….”

Ned handed him another shot. “You need more of this.” Peter grimaced as he looked at it.

Ned poured himself another shot. “To not remembering if I became a ball of dust or not,” He toasted, clinking Peter’s shot glass. They both took their shots.

“Wait a minute,” Peter said. “How many was that for…”

“Let’s not think about it.”

Peter made dramatic nodding movements with his head, which made him tip over off of the toilet. Ned started guffawing, and Peter followed suit. “Dude, where are those spider-like reflexes now!” Ned exclaimed.

Peter wiped tears from his eyes. He wasn’t sure if they had come when he was telling his story or if they were from his laughter. “I don’t know man! I think the alcohol is getting to me.”

“Psht, I don’t think so,” Ned said, pouring him another shot. “How many is that?”

Peter looked at his fingers and hiccupped. “Umm, I lost count, only have 10 fingers…” They both burst out laughing again.

As the laughter died down, Ned asked, “So, have you told anyone else about everything?”

Peter repositioned himself on the toilet. “I told MJ last night. I just couldn’t keep it from her any longer.”

“Harry?”

Peter shook his head. “No, no, and after today, I don’t know if I should. He was really mad at me about the whole time stone thing. I think he still is. Then there’s the whole Fisk stuff… I mean, I get why he didn’t tell me sooner, but still…”

“But, he’s gotta understand right? I mean, logically…”

Peter shrugged. “It wouldn’t bring his mom back, not in the way he wants, but I don’t know how to make him see that.”

“Maybe he needs to talk to Dumbledore’s better-looking brother.”

“Doctor Strange?” Peter shook his head. “Doc can barely handle my problems, I don’t know if he can handle Harry’s too.”

Ned nodded and handed Peter another shot. “Well, to Harry then. May he get over himself one day.”

Peter smirked. “To Harry.”

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

Gwen had gotten up to go to the bathroom, and Michelle had a plaguing desire to get up too. She hadn’t seen Peter or Ned in almost two hours, and she was getting worried. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and checked to see if Peter had texted her. Nothing.

“I’m sure he’s around here somewhere,” came Eddie’s voice from her other side.

Michelle sucked in her breath, trying to hold her tongue. She pushed her phone back in her pocket and inched away from him. “I’m sure he is too.” Eddie put his arm on the back of the couch behind her, and she deftly picked it up by his wrist and moved it off.

“Okay, I see how it is,” Eddie said.

“Good, I’m glad you do,” Michelle replied. “Eddie, look,”

“There you are!”

She looked up and saw Harry coming toward her, a frantic look on his face. He quickly sat down next to her, and for once she was grateful for his presence. “Here I am,” she said amused.

He craned his neck around the room. “Keep me occupied,” He whispered in her ear.

“I thought that was Lily’s job tonight,” she retorted.

“Well, let’s just say that Lily’s gotten a bit too… clingy…”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “Spare me, Harry.”

“What!? I can’t help it women are naturally drawn to me.”

“Is that what we are?” She grunted realizing her current predicament – she was stuck between two men who held higher opinions of themselves than warranted. Somewhere she could hear the world’s tiniest violin playing.

“Well, maybe not you.” Harry raised an eyebrow, and she shook her head. “Eh, I was curious. So, where’s Pete and Ned?”

“That I don’t know, and I gotta be honest, it’s bugging me.”

“OH, I’m sure Peter’s fine. He can clearly take care of himself.”

“Yes, that I’m not worried about,” she said, glancing at Eddie who was eavesdropping on their conversation. Luckily, they were all used to heavily guarding their conversations around other people.

“So, has Peter mentioned…”

“No, Harry, he hasn’t, and you should probably just forget about it too,” she whispered sharply. “If you knew everything that happened…”

Harry perked up. “Wait, do you know? Did Parker tell you?”

Michelle sighed. She was hoping to not have this conversation. “He told me everything last night, Harry.”

Harry narrowed his eyes. “And then you got him off.”

“Disgusting,” Michelle turned her head away from him.

“Sorry! Sorry, okay, sorry. It’s just you know, I thought Peter and I were close now, you know? And today he just mentions these stones and that guy Thanos, and none of it makes sense, but I can’t let go of the possibility that I could get my mom back… I could even maybe get my dad back before he went crazy.”

“Harry, that’s dangerous thinking,” Michelle warned. “You don’t know how that works. You only guess it can work that way. Any time traveling device or spell for that matter. And the stone is destroyed. Peter said so himself.”

“Okay, but…”

“Hey, Harry, right?” Eddie finally cut in.

Both Harry and Michelle slowly turned their heads to look at Eddie with confused looks.

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be? Michelle and I were having a conversation.”

Harry looked at Michelle who gave him a sidelong glance and shook her head side-to-side. “Yeah, sure buddy.” He lowered his voice. “So this is a secret you’ve been hiding from Peter?”

“I don’t like him, Harry,” she hissed. “He is just an annoyingly handsome guy who apparently thinks he can get anyone he wants… funny, sound familiar?”

“Har, har,” Harry replied.

“Hey,” Eddie said, grabbing Michelle’s arm.

She whipped her head around and pulled her arm out of his grasp. “Stop it, Eddie,” she said firmly. “you're beginning to embarrass yourself.”

She heard a few snickers from the couch across from them, but she ignored them. Eddie looked like she had just slapped him in the face. His face slowly relaxed into his easygoing grin. “Michelle, look if we could just talk alone, for a few seconds…” He placed his hand on her knee, and before she even had time to react, Harry had leaned over and pushed it off.

She turned and looked at him, surprised by his defensive action. “Dude, seriously, she said stop,” Harry said firmly, glaring at Eddie. “Trust me, this is one battle you don’t want to start.”

Eddie stood up and puffed out his chest. “Oh really? What, are you her personal bodyguard or something, Osborn?”

Harry stood up and got eye-to-eye with him. “Oh, I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about…”

“MJ!”

She turned and saw Peter and Ned stumbling toward them with Gwen at their heels. “Oh shit,” she declared, jumping up off the couch.

**_Peter’s POV_ **

Peter knocked into an end table, knocking someone’s drink over onto the floor as he made his way over to Michelle and Harry. His head was spinning, but he had never felt so loose, so free in all of his life.

“Look who I found!” Gwen exclaimed giddily, grabbing Peter’s shoulders to steady him. He looked over at her and gave her a loopy grin.

“You’repretty,” he muttered, mooning over her. Her blue eyes seemed to glitter under the harsh yellow lighting of her old apartment. Gwen giggled and poked his nose.

“Careful there, tiger, MJ’s watching,” she muttered and moved away from him.

Harry’s eyes widened and he smiled. “Oh man, I need to film this for posterity,” Harry said, pulling his phone out and hitting record.

Peter saw Michelle push Harry out of her way and run over to him and Ned. “You did it, didn’t you?” she looked directly into his eyes, which were bloodshot. “Yep, you did.”

“MJ, I lurrrvvee youuu,” Peter slurred, grinning at her and trying to wrap his arms around her waist. Even though Gwen was a pretty girl, Michelle’s dark, concerned eyes, full lips and curls that framed her face were everything to him. He wanted to wrap her in his arms right then and never let go.

She grabbed his flailing arms and steadied him. “Ned, how much did he drink?”

Ned looked at his hands and started pretending to count. “I think, what did we say… 50?”

“Maybe 60?” Peter asked.

Ned snapped his fingers. “Yeah! 60 and I had like just a few…” he hiccupped, and Michelle raised an eyebrow. “What!? One for every five…. Or so…”

Michelle held Peter’s hand firmly in hers. “Peter that probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do.”

“But we wanted to find out, and we found out, and it’s great!” I feel soo good… but weird, right? My arms and fingers feel sooo tingly right now and my spider senses aren’t even going off!” It slipped out before he even had a chance to stop himself. He noticed Michelle’s eyes grow wide.

“Spider senses?” Eddie asked, looking at Peter oddly.

Harry, who had taken a sip of his drink, choked on it. “Oh shit,” he said.

“Right, Peter, I think it’s time for us all to leave…” Michelle tried to turn him around.

“Oh no, you gotta stay Michelle! He’s just a little drunk…” Gwen begged.

“Yeah, MJ, I’m just a little drunk, just a,” Peter tried to measure how drunk he was with his index finger and thumb, “a little, like right there,” he held his fingers up for her to see.

“Uh-huh, no.”

“Michelle you’re his girlfriend, not his mother, remember?” Gwen chastised, and Michelle gave her a scornful look. “Sorry, I’m just saying. Let’s all just hang out!” She flopped down onto the couch. “Peter, you gotta tell us about yourself. Michelle doesn’t tell us anything!”

Peter swayed a bit and Michelle steadied him. “I’m sm…smart!” Peter exclaimed.

“Beginning to doubt that right now,” Michelle muttered. “Look, if you need to know stuff about me, I’ll tell you,” she replied stubbornly.

“Michelle’s super secretive,” Peter said in a hushed voice. “But I’m better at keeping secrets!”

“Sure, you are,” Harry snickered, his phone still rolling.

“Peter interned for Tony Stark!” Ned shouted. “That’s how smart he is!”

Peter felt the spinning stop in his head, the rushed feeling of joy fading as he heard Tony’s name from Ned’s mouth.

“No way,” Gwen said, in disbelief.

“Yeah, way,” Ned continued. “He even used to come over to Peter’s house and everything! He was his mentor!”

“Wow, you must be really upset then that he’s dead,” Eddie remarked, his eyebrows knitted together in skepticism.

“Tony?” Peter said softly, his eyes starting to glaze over. He thought about the story he told Ned, and the memories started to hit him quickly, and a small ache started in his head right near his left temple. He rubbed it, closing his eyes.

 “It’s such a shame isn’t it?” Gwen added. “I mean, he was so smart, and just wanted to make the world a better place.”

“Are we sure, we’re talking about the same Tony Stark?” a guy next to her piped up.

Gwen shoved him. “Oh stop, Max, you’re just jealous because you’ve been trying to get an internship there for two years.” She leaned over toward Michelle and Peter, “Max is studying electrical engineering at Columbia and has had a huge science crush on Stark.”

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Michelle replied. “Okay, but really we should go…”

“Do they even know what really happened to Stark anyway?” a red-haired girl sitting on the couch opposite asked.

“He’s dead,” Peter said, blankly. “He died, saving us.” Peter’s jovial feeling soon turned sour at the mention of Tony’s name. The warmness from the alcohol quickly turned to ice in his veins.

“Saving us from what!? Do we even know what really happened? Does anyone?” Eddie mocked. A few of the other drunk students murmured in some semblance of agreement. “If you ask me, I think it’s all a cover-up.”

“Eddie, you think everything’s a cover-up,” Gwen said with a withering look.

“No seriously, I mean we all saw it on the news, he went up there with that weirdo and Spider-Man, and he didn’t come back alive? If you ask me, I think they are in on it.”

The pounding of his heart started to sound loudly in his head, drowning out the loud music and laughter of the party.

“ _I told you it was your fault,”_ the voice whispered behind him. Peter spun around and stared at Ned.

“What did you say?” Peter asked him in a small voice.

Ned looked at him confused. “Dude, I didn’t say anything,” he said under his breath.

Peter turned back around and caught Michelle’s eye. She looked worried.

“Are you telling me you think Spider-Man killed Tony Stark or something?” Max asked Eddie with skepticism.

“If the shoe fits. You all think he’s some big hero, but I think he does all this stuff for the attention, and he was obviously working with Stark, right? I mean Stark was there last year during that whole ferry incident… maybe it’s like some Darth Vader Darth Sidious stuff,” Eddie replied. “He killed him because he became stronger than him.”

“Eddie, your perverse dislike of Spider-Man is severely alarming,” Michelle stated coldly, crossing her arms across her chest. “He did not kill Tony Stark.”

“Yes, I did,” Peter said in a low voice, so low only Michelle caught it. She did a double take and looked at Peter curiously. Peter lowered his head into his hands.

 _” It’s all right, you know, I only blame you a little bit for killing me,”_ The voice said, this time in front of Peter. He looked up between Eddie and Max and saw some shimmering form starting to appear.

 _It’s the alcohol,_ Peter reasoned. _Calm down, Peter, it’s just the alcohol doing this, everything is fine, nothing is wrong…_

“Michelle’s right,” Harry added, glancing back nervously at Peter. “Spider-Man saved my life. He’s a good guy.”

“You’re sticking up for him too? What do you four have some _special relationship_ with the guy or something?”

Peter watched in horror as the form took shape. He wanted to run, but his feet felt planted on the ground as if they were buried in that spot. _“Mmmm, the fear, the pain, I can smell it coming off of you, it’s so refreshing,”_ Tony’s voice sighed with delight, but the shape forming wasn’t Tony. The torso was too long and skeletal; the being’s skin was a sickly pale green-clad in black and his face was gaunt framed by scraggly black hair that hung below his shoulders. The darkness of hair was offset by his eyes that glowed like cats’ eyes.

“Oh no,” Peter said weakly, trying to pull his feet off the ground. Around him, his friends were still arguing with Michelle’s fellow interns completely oblivious to the menacing figure standing in their midst. “Help!” Peter called out, but his voice came out in a croak.

 _“They can’t help you anymore, Peter,”_ The being, his thin lips curling into a smile. _“No one can help you anymore. You’re all mine.”_

“Spider-Man is our friend!” Ned shouted. “You’re just jealous because MJ likes him and not you!”

“Ned not now!” Michelle exclaimed through gritted teeth.

Eddie scoffed. “Please, like I’m jealous of some guy running around in tights all day long,”

“No, he’s not just some guy,” Ned said determinedly. “He’s,”

“NED!” Michelle and Harry both shouted in unison, making Ned jump in surprise.

The being started walking calmly toward Peter. _“Peter, I must thank you for giving me life once more. I promise, your sacrifice will be worth it. My rule will be mighty, and you can take comfort in knowing you had a hand in it. After I feed off you.”_  He picked up his pace and flew at Peter.

“No, NO!” Peter shouted, and suddenly found he was able to move once more and started backing away quickly. As he did so, he felt his left heel slip and he started wobbling. He looked behind him and saw a familiar sight – one that had haunted his dreams for months. The wide crevice of never-ending darkness. Peter tried to keep his footing, but the being had closed in on him and grabbed him by the shirt.

 _“Everything is going to be all right, Peter,”_ The figure said as it lifted Peter up high above the crevice.

Peter could hear the familiar whispers emerging from the hole.

_Failure._

_Worthless._

_Weak._

And then a new one. _Murderer._

“No, please!” Peter cried out. “Help me! Please!” He shouted, but the room around him drew darker, the bodies of his friends and the other partygoers going hazy as if they were out of focus, out of the scene before him. None of them seemed to notice he was in peril; he wondered if any of them cared.

 _“Mmm, it’s so satisfying,”_ the figure said, breathing in Peter’s scent. Peter winced and continued to struggle in the being’s grasp. _This has to be a dream, this can’t be real!_  Peter thought, trying to wake himself up.

 _“There’s no use trying to do that now, boy. You’re in my world. I’m almost near my full strength, but I need more from you. Lucky for me, you’re a buffet boy, and you know what they say,”_ The figure flung Peter into the hole, and Peter felt the wind knock his breath out as he sped down the dark tunnel. _“Bon Appetit!”_

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Ned!” Harry went on, shaking his head. Michelle ignored the strange looks her friends gave them as she and Harry chastised Ned for almost revealing Peter’s secret again.

 _And this is why we don’t go to parties_ , Michelle thought tiredly.

“Harry, don’t worry about,” Michelle replied, turning back to the other interns. “Look, guys, we gotta go. It’s been fun, but not really.”

“Uh, Michelle, what’s wrong with Peter?” Gwen asked, peering around Michelle with a queer look.

Michelle and Harry both turned around, and Michelle’s face went pale. Peter had gone strangely still, and his eyes were staring straight open as if he had just seen something that frightened him to his core.

“Peter?” she said timidly, taking a step toward him.

“Oh boy, looks like your boy can’t hold his liquor!” Eddie laughed.

Michelle shot him a glare and started to reach for Peter’s hand when he suddenly came to life.

“No, No!” Peter shouted as he started backing away from her. His eyes were fixated on the empty space between Michelle and Harry.

Michelle tried to reach for his hand again, but Peter pedaled further back, his hands outstretched as if he was warding something off. “No, Please! Help me, Please!” Peter shouted and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went limp, falling to the floor.

“Dammit, going to parties with you guys suck,” Harry stated as he, Ned, and Michelle stared down at Peter’s unconscious body on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I do love some good cliffhangers :)


	14. Waking Up Is Hard To Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and kudos everyone! Next chapter is up! I feel inspired, so I've been writing like crazy!

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

Michelle could feel anger start to build up as the people around them started giggling and cackling at Peter’s predicament. She looked over at Harry, who had shoved his phone into his pocket, then at Ned, who looked started looking like he was going to be sick.

“Ned, are you okay?” she asked. He shook his head and put his hand to his mouth.

“Uh no, I’m not okay, I think I’m going to…” And then Ned bent over and threw up all over the arm of the couch. Laughter turned to cries of disgust as the sight and smell of vomit overtook everything. “I’ll be right back,” Ned said apologetically, rushing to the bathroom.

“Oh my God, Michelle! You’re cleaning that up!” Gwen cried out in alarm.

“Sure, right after I make sure my boyfriend isn’t dead… Harry, help me get him up,” Michelle said, and she and Harry picked Peter up by his arms and legs.

“Some boyfriend you got there,” Eddie remarked. “Look Michelle,”

“Eddie, shut up,” she said curtly as she struggled to lift Peter. “He’s way heavier than he looks,” she said to Harry.

“Yeah, ya think?”

Michelle turned to Gwen. “Can I borrow your room?”

Gwen covered her nose and mouth. “Fine, but Michelle, he better not have alcohol poisoning or something. If he dies, and they somehow find out it’s here, I’m going to lose my scholarship.”

“Wow, Gwen, thanks for the concern. I hope he doesn’t die either because, oh you know, he’s my boyfriend and because he’s a human being,” Michelle retorted. Gwen just looked at her confused and Michelle sighed.

“Mary,” she called to the red-haired girl sitting on the far end of the couch. “Get Lily to go get some towels and the bleach from under the kitchen sink!”

Michelle and Harry started carrying Peter to Gwens’ room on the other side of the apartment, pushing past the partygoers who crowded their path.

“Well, we should have guessed this would happen,” Harry said, as Michelle opened the door to the bedroom.

“Yes, well, forgive me for trying to do something different for once,” Michelle replied. She edged into Gwen’s room and they hoisted Peter onto the bed. “I just wanted to help him get over all of this.”

Harry shut the door behind them and locked it. “Okay, so is this just an anxiety attack, alcohol poisoning, or something worse?”

“My guess is something worse,” she said leaning over him. Peter’s eyes were rapidly moving underneath his lids. He was dreaming and it looked painful. “Peter,” she murmured into his ear. “Peter, please wake up.” She grabbed his hand; it was cold and clammy. She felt for his pulse.

“Okay, so what do we do? Should I call Antonio to come and get us?”

“I don’t know if we have time for that,” she said. “His pulse is really fast, and he’s cold, that’s not normal for him.”

Harry folded his arms over his chest. “Okay, and what do you think would be a quicker way? An ambulance? A rocket maybe? And where are you going to take him? He doesn’t want to go to the hospital, right? Know any mob doctors or something who could help out?”

“No, but you might, right?” she shot back.

Harry winced. “Ouch, MJ, that kind of hurt. But no, I only know one mobster, and I’m pretty sure Peter would flip out if he knew I called him. We don’t know anyone who can help? Maybe a friend’s mom who’s a nurse? Someone who used to be a doctor maybe?”

“Used to be…” Michelle’s eyes lit up. “You’re a genius Harry.”

“Uh, are you making fun of me again?” he looked at her curiously. He watched on as Michelle slipped her hand under Peter’s bottom and started feeling around. “What the hell are you doing?”

She pulled his phone out of his back pocket. “Calling a doctor.” She unlocked Peter’s phone and opened up his contacts. _Please make his code name something obvious_. She scrolled through his contacts and found someone named Gandalf. _Yes, please be it._ She dialed the number.

After two rings, Doctor Strange picked up. “Peter,” he said with a sigh. “You’re supposed to be out having fun with your friends, not calling me.”

“Uh, actually, this isn’t Peter,” MJ replied.

“MJ, the girlfriend… Wait, why are you calling me from Peter’s phone?” His tone quickly changed from slightly irritated to concerned in a moment.

“Well, it’s Peter. I think you’re the only person who can help him. He’s passed out again, and he told me about the meditation earlier, and I’m worried.”

“Have you tried waking him up?”

“Yes, and it’s not working. He’s all cold and his heart’s beating really fast, Doctor. You need to come help.”

“Of course, give me a second, I’ll be right there.” He hung up abruptly.

Michelle put Peter’s phone in her other back pocket. “Doctor Strange is on his way.”

“What?! So we have to wait on him, but Antonio is not,” a loud series of knocks on the door interrupted him. Michelle and Harry exchanged worried looks. “Uh, we’re a little busy in here!” Harry shouted through the door.

“Dude, it’s me, Ned!” Ned shouted from the other side.

Harry sighed and opened the door. “Get in here quickly.” He grabbed Ned’s hand and pulled him inside, locking the door behind him.

“How do you feel?” Michelle asked him, looking him over. Ned’s face was pale, and his shirt was a little wet, but he looked better than he did before.

“Like I’m never drinking with Peter again,” he groaned. “But I’m better than Peter, it looks like. Was it the alcohol?”

“I don’t think so,” she said.

Ned walked over to Peter. “Man, we were having such a good time too. Kind of like the way we used to hang out, except with lots of shots. I don’t like this, MJ.”

“Neither do I,” she agreed.

“Oh, by the way! I managed to escape him, but that Eddie guy is looking for you,” Ned said.

“Man, he’s extremely persistent. You want me to get someone to beat him up? I know some guys,” Harry mentioned.

“No,” Michelle sighed. “I will deal with it later.”

A faint whooshing sound caught all of their attentions, and they looked on at an empty spot in Gwen’s room where the sound was coming from. Yellow sparks seemed to spray out of nowhere and they all backed up.

“What now!?” Harry exclaimed.

The sparks started to form a circle and started spinning, growing wider. Michelle smiled, realizing what it was. “That was quick,” she noted, as portal opened up fully, revealing the Sanctum foyer on the other side and Doctor Strange.

“OH MY GOD it’s a portal!” Ned cried out happily. “Every day I keep getting to see something cooler!”

Strange stepped through the portal, and she heard Ned squeak. “Where is he?” he asked, not wasting any time with pleasantries.

They all pointed to the bed, and Strange rushed over. He felt Peter’s forehead and pulse. “We need to get him to the Sanctum now. Wong’s already working on the spell.”

“A spell? What kind of spell?” Harry asked him.

“I don’t have time to explain now, but Peter’s in danger.” He lifted Peter up into his arms, cradling him against his chest. “Come on now, through the portal.”

KNOCK, KNOCK. KNOCK, KNOCK. KNOCK, KNOCK.

“MICHELLE! MICHELLE OPEN UP RIGHT NOW!”

Strange paused. “Who’s that?”

Michelle groaned. “An on-going nuisance. Don’t worry about him… EDDIE GO AWAY!”

“NO! I LOVE YOU MICHELLE! YOU SHOULD BE WITH ME, NOT THAT WEAK-ASS WHITE BOY!”

Ned started to yell something back, but Michelle put her hand over his mouth. “No,” she said firmly. She pointed at the portal, and Ned nodded and started for it.

Eddie’s knocks became more forceful, and she heard someone shouting, “Eddie, stop it, you’re going to break the door!”

She looked at Strange who was staring at the door then her. “So, college parties are just like I remember them, I see,” he said plainly, a smirk on his face. She just shook her head.

“Let’s go,” she said, as she heard the door start to crack.

“Wow, yeah, glad I didn’t try to fight him,” Harry noted, following Ned’s lead.

Strange turned and rushed Peter through the portal, and Michelle followed last. As she walked through, she turned her head in time to see Eddie burst through the door. She couldn’t help but smile as he froze, staring at the portal that started disappearing, watching it, and Michelle disappear into thin air.

**_Doctor Strange’s POV_ **

_“Take care of him Doc, will you? Take care of Peter. He’s still young, he needs… guidance.”_

Stephen rushed through the portal and took Peter directly into the library where Wong was hurriedly paging through a few books. Wong looked up at Stephen as he entered and quickly grabbed one of the books.

“Stephen, he doesn’t look good,” Wong said, following him over to a large wooden table covered in different occult artifacts.

“How much time do you think we have?” Stephen asked, as Wong cleared the table off.

“Not long. He looks like he’s almost completely gone. Stephen, this is why…”

“I know!” Stephen said through clenched teeth. “I know Wong. But right now, we can play the blame game or figure out how to save Peter’s life. I made a promise.”

“To a dead man,” Wong shook his head. “Those promises are binding, Strange.”

He knew that all too well. It stuck with him in his head every day for the last few months. He stared down at Peter’s restful face, which was growing paler by the second. Although the boy annoyed him at times, Strange had begun to enjoy his presence in the Sanctum, and understood why Stark had taken to him.

_“I don’t know anything about the boy, Tony. And  I…I…I am not a kid’s person.”_

_“Neither was I, yet here we are. You are who he needs, Doc. Believe me.”_

“Yes, well, I’d make that promise all over again, Wong. What have you found.”

Wong handed him the book and pointed to a spot on the page. “This spell will uncover the possession. If our assumptions are correct…”

“Hey!”

They both stopped and turned around. Stephen had completely forgotten about Peter’s friends. They had followed him into library and were all standing there looking confused, lost, and upset.

“You brought them too? Strange, I swear…”

“What are you guys doing to Peter!?” Michelle asked, her eyes narrowing in Wong’s direction. Stephen noticed Wong’s slightly astonished expression at Michelle’s look. He couldn’t help but be amused that Wong was affected by the teen’s attitude.

“We are going to speak to the demon that is plaguing his mind,” Stephen explained quickly.

“Speak to the who now?” Ned asked weakly.

Stephen and Wong placed their hands over Peter’s body. “We believe that the demon, Nightmare, has entered Peter’s mind and is possessing him.”

“He says it like it’s a normal thing,” Harry muttered.

“But he’s not acting possessed,” Michelle pointed out.

“No,” Stephen nodded, “but Nightmare isn’t that type of demon. He’s more interested in what’s in Peter’s head. Many centuries ago, Nightmare used to rule over the Dream Dimension. There, he would torment the subconscious minds of humans, feeding off their fears, their pain. It gave him power and life. Then the Ancient One used the Book of Cagliostro to trap him. He’s been in there ever since until…”

“Until what?” Michelle asked.

“Until a few days ago, when Peter accidentally let him out.”

“What!? Why would Peter do that?” Harry countered.

“It’s not his fault,” Stephen explained. “It’s mine, really. See, Wong and I use protection spells to guard our minds from influence.”

“And Stephen conveniently forgot to put one on Peter when he started coming over here,” Wong replied aggravatedly.

“Yes, thank you Wong. I know you’ve been dying to get that out…” Stephen sighed. “Yes, I did. And Peter’s mind has been very vulnerable. Its vulnerability was like a… smelling salt for Nightmare. He woke up but was still trapped. He needed someone to get him out. I think he began to influence Peter, even from his prison, which might be partially why the depression he’s had has only gotten worse.”

“So, it’s not just about Tony’s death or his?” Michelle asked.

“Wait, what?” Harry looked at her confused.

“No, I don’t think so, not all of it. I think Nightmare was using his influence to make Peter’s feelings about those things compounded to the point where his mind was susceptible to him. Then he used him somehow to unleash him from the Book.

“Wait, can we go back to the part about Peter’s death? I’m lost,” Harry remarked.

Stephen turned back to Peter’s body. “All can be explained later. Right now, we need to work.”

He and Wong started murmuring over Peter’s body, and a blue light emanated from their palms, stretching over Peter’s body.

_“Tony, why don’t I try to get you…”_

_“No, Strange, there’s no fixing this, and you know this. You have to promise me; I know we don’t know each other well, but I think we’re kindred spirits.”_

_“It’s the beards isn’t it?”_

_“Yeah, ha, it is.”_

 “By the Hairy Hosts of Hogarth, I command thee, Nightmare, to show yourself!” Stephen called out. He could feel his hands start to vibrate as energy started to come off of Peter’s body. “Come forth, you son of a bitch,” Stephen muttered.

“He’s strong, Strange!” Wong shouted.

“Well, dammit, we’re stronger!” Stephen shouted. “Step back!” He called out to Peter’s friends.

_“Tony, I… I promise, I’ll look after him.”_

_“Thank you, Doc. He’s a good kid. Now, bring him over…. Quickly…”_

Suddenly Peter’s body started to shake violently, and his mouth opened up as if to scream, but nothing came out. The blue energy coming from Stephen and Wong dove into him and the whole room started to quake. The lights in the room extinguished leaving them all in darkness. The only light was coming from Stephen and Wong’s spell.

“What’s happening!?” Ned shouted, grabbing onto Michelle.

The energy from Peter’s body burst and sent a force field out toward Wong and Stephen sending them flying back.

Stephen hit one of their bookshelves, and crumpled to the ground, a few of the heavy tomes falling on and around him. He groaned as he sat up. _Well that’s gonna hurt in the morning._

The room had stopped shaking, and everything had become eerily still. Stephen slowly rose to his feet as his eyes fixated on the figure that loomed over Peter’s unconscious body. His yellow slanted eyes surveyed the room before him, his thing lips pursed in an annoyed look. He first looked at Wong, who was trying to climb out of the pile of artifacts that had fallen on top of him. Then he looked in the direction of Peter’s friends. Ned squealed and grabbed onto Michelle tighter. Even Harry slowly edged behind her. Finally, his eyes fell on Stephen and he smiled.

“Ah, I should have guessed it was a sorcerer trying to expel me,” he said, his voice velvety and thick with amusement.

“I’m Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme,” Stephen announced, standing up and brushing himself off. He then conjured up two energy shields and took a defensive position. “And I’m going to need you to step away from that teenager.”

Nightmare grinned. “Sorcerer Supreme, you say? Well, the last one of you I’ve seen looked…” he paused and glanced at Wong. “Well looked more like him.”

Wong had managed to get to his feet and also put up his energy shields.

“Tsk, tsk, I don’t remember the Sanctums being so inhospitable.”

“We’re never hospitable to demons, Nightmare,” Stephen said darkly.

“Ah, well, I guess it’s been a few centuries, now, hasn’t it? Times change… Luckily, humans don’t.”

“Get out of the boy,” Stephen ordered.

“Oh, no, afraid I can’t do that Sorcerer. He’s mine now.”

“Well, he’s in my possession,” Stephen said, “and possession is 9/10th of the law.”

Nightmare threw his greasy black hair back and let out a bellowing laugh. “Oh my, you’re a feisty one. I am going to enjoy this.” He looked down at Peter and his long, skeletal fingers slowly caressed his face. “I’m afraid then I’m the one who has possession because his mind, which arguably takes up more of him than anything else belongs to me.” He smiled down at Peter, with hungry, yet admiring eyes. “Oh, and what a mind. So much fear, so much pain in such a ripe young body.  I must thank you, Sorcerer, for delivering this boy into my hands.”

Stephen glowered. “A mistake I will rectify quickly.” He went to make an energy blast, but Wong shouted at him to stop. Stephen looked at him confused.

Nightmare laughed. “Oh, your little _sidekick_ figured it out, didn’t he? You hurt me here, you hurt the boy. And I can tell you’re quite fond of him.” He smirked. “He will make a wonderful vessel for me to help me regain my strength and take back my kingdom.”

“The Dream Dimension will never be yours,” Stephen said firmly.

“Oh no? and who’s going to stop me? You? You couldn’t even protect this boy from me when I was at my weakest, how do you expect to stop me when I’m at my full strength?” He ran his black fingernails through Peter’s hair. “So much pain. You should see his nightmares. I can’t even make up such torture. It’s incredible.”

“I don’t need to see it.”

“Oh, but you do,” Nightmare’s image instantly transformed into a young man with a receding hairline, a blue parka and kind eyes.

“Uncle Ben?” Ned said in recognition, staring at the image of Peter’s dead uncle before them.

Suddenly, a bright red spot formed in the middle of the man’s chest, and his eyes went wide with shock, as the red spot, blood, started spreading. He clutched at it and fell to his knees in agony. Then the image transformed again into Tony. Stephen was put off by seeing the deceased man in such a state. He was wearing the Iron Man suit, but it was missing pieces and damaged in places. His face was bruised, and a part of his hair was matted down with blood. He looked just as Stephen remembered him the day he died. Nightmare transformed one last time, this time into a form, Stephen did not expect.

He stood there in a more petite, feminine form, his skin darker, his hair longer and wild with curls.

“Oh my God,” Michelle murmured, stepping forward as she stood face-to-face with a doppelganger version of herself. Stephen glanced at her and watched as Michelle put her hand to her own face as if she wasn’t sure if she was the real one or if the other was.  

“All right, enough,” Stephen said angrily. “You’ve made your point.”

“It’s absolutely wonderful, isn’t it? Pure torture. And never have I fed off someone who’s died and lived to tell the tale. The agony from that is truly filling.”

“Well unfortunately for you, it’ll be the last time,” Stephen said, “Leave him now, and face me.”

“Oh, I think not, Sorcerer Supreme.” Wong started shouting out a spell, and Nightmare turned and looked at him. “Enough of that!” He shouted and tried to move against Wong but couldn’t. Stephen smiled.

“Ah, yes, a good ole’ protection spells. Looks like we’re going to win this round, Nightmare,” Stephen goaded and he joined Wong in the spell.

Nightmare hissed and shrunk back. “This isn’t over Sorcerer!” he shouted and with a wisp of green smoke, he disappeared.

The lights came back on, and Stephen and Wong put out their magical shields. Wong looked around, surveying the broken glass, fallen books, and other assortments of artifacts on the floor. He gave Stephen a grumpy look. “I hope you don’t expect me to clean this up.”

Stephen sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, still sore from his fall. “No, Wong. I’ll take care of it.” He looked back at Peter’s friends. “Everyone all right?”

“All right!?” Ned exclaimed. “That was a demon that just came out of Peter and you’re asking us if we’re all right?!”

“We’re fine,” Michelle answered, giving Ned a tired look.

Stephen turned back to Peter’s body lying on the table. He slowly walked toward him, prepared to attack, if necessary.

“Be careful, Stephen, we don’t know…”

“AAH!” Peter shouted as he bolted upright on the table. Wong and Stephen took defensive stances but kept their shields at bay. Peter stared at them, eyes wide with confusion, his shoulders and chest heaving. He looked past them at his friends, and the confusion in his eyes only grew. He then looked back at Stephen. “What the hell is going on?”

**_Peter’s POV_ **

Peter held his hands out which were shaking and sweaty. He remembered being pulled down into a darkness and then the painful memories and nightmares started. Peter couldn’t seem to escape them no matter how hard he tried. It wore him down. Then he heard Doctor Strange’s voice, chanting in a language he wasn’t familiar with and then he felt himself being pulled up out of the darkness.

And now he was sitting on top of a table in Doctor Strange’s library with Strange, Wong, and his friends staring at him more in horror than concern. When he asked them what was going on, no one answered. “Oh no, is this still part of my dream?” He whined, looking around for any sign of that creepy demon who looked like he stepped out of a Marilyn Manson concert.

Doctor Strange was the one who spoke first. “No, Peter, you’re fine. You’re not dreaming now.” He walked up to Peter and felt his head with the back of his hand, then took his pulse. He looked relieved. “You’re doing good.”

“Was I doing bad? What happened? Did I pass out because I drank too much? Oh man, Ned, how much did I drink? Did I do this at the party?”

“Peter, Peter!” Doctor Strange said, trying to calm him down. “One thing at a time, hmm? There’s a lot to catch you up on.”

Peter then sat and listened to Doctor Strange tell him about a demon called Nightmare who used to rule the Dream Dimension and was trapped in the Book of Cagliostro. He told him that he had gotten a hold of Peter’s mind and used him to escape. Peter remembered the incident a few days ago when he was left alone in the library.

“Do you remember anything, Peter?” Strange asked him.

“Ummm, I mean I didn’t want you to get mad, but I kind of remember hearing voices, and I thought I saw…” he blushed, “I thought I saw Tony, which is crazy right? And he kept telling me to open the book, and then it got crazy and next thing I know I was waking up to you getting all mad…”

Doctor Strange sighed and rubbed his temples. “Peter, you should have told me.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I don’t know why I didn’t tell… you… I guess… I guess I was just getting tired of everyone telling me I was crazy that… I don’t know…” Peter trailed off. He looked into his palms and studied the lines that crossed them horizontally and vertically. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Doctor Strange rested a hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, kid, I understand.”

“Hold up, wait a minute!” Harry interjected, stepping forward. “Is no one going to address what that Nightmare guy said? He said you died Peter! Is no one else creeped out by that?”

Peter glanced at Doctor Strange and Wong and then at Michelle and Ned. He realized he had told them all about Titan… all of them except Harry. Harry looked at all of them too, and Peter could tell he was getting frustrated when he realized that none of them looked surprised by this statement. Harry’s eyes turned back onto Peter for answers.

“I did die, Harry… half the universe did,” Peter said slowly.

Harry’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Peter, what are you talking about?”

“Remember I told you about the stone? About Thanos? That’s why he collected all of them, he wanted to bring balance to the universe and when he did exactly that. And me and Doctor Strange both died.”

He felt Doctor Strange’s hand pat his shoulder comfortingly. “But you’re here now, so…”

“Tony… and the other Avengers… they uh…” he paused, hesitant to tell Harry about the Quantum Realm. “They uh… found a way to bring us back and defeat Thanos, but it came at a cost…”

“Tony’s death,” Harry stated. Peter nodded. “And everyone here knew… except me? You, what conveniently forgot to tell me?” His shock turned into anger fast. Peter could feel his spider senses start to tingle. He had been wondering if they were on the fritz earlier, but now, he wasn’t so sure.

“To be fair, I just told Ned like a few hours ago at the party,” Peter offered. “I told MJ last night… Doctor Strange and Wong already knew…”

“And yet you still seem like you didn’t want to tell me. Why Pete? Don’t you trust me anymore?” Harry narrowed his eyes. Peter could tell he was angry and hurt. Peter couldn’t blame him. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t trust Harry as much as he used to. Not since the other day when he had to save him from Fisk.

“Harry, I…”

Harry shook his head. “You know what, Pete? You sit here with your ‘woe is me’ attitude and everyone just falls at your feet. But my parents are dead too you know… and you guys wanted me to _talk_ to you and be open about everything when all I wanted to do was run away to Fiji and forget everything. But you get to mope around, get possessed by…. By… _dream demons_ , and no one expects anything from you.”

“Oh calm down, Harry,” Michelle said, rolling her eyes.

“Whatever Michelle, you and Ned both feel the same way, don’t lie. Only difference is he told you the truth.”

“Come on Harry, is now really the time? I mean you saw that crazy-ass demon that sprung up out of Peter, right? I think we have bigger problems then Peter’s trust issues,” Ned reasoned.

Harry continued to glare at Peter for another second before sighing and looking away. “Yeah, you’re right, Ned. I’ll drop it.”

Peter watched him carefully, wondering what was going through his mind. Doctor Strange then cleared his throat. “Um, Peter, can we get back to the issue of Nightmare’s control over you?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry, Doc, so, um how do we get rid of him?”

Doctor Strange walked over to Wong and murmured something that they couldn’t hear. “If you do that, I’m going with you,” Wong said firmly.  

Strange then turned back to Peter. “Peter, we can’t injure Nightmare in this dimension, because he’s tied himself to you. Therefore, if we hurt him, here…”

“You hurt me, got it, yeah let’s not do that,” Peter replied. “So, we bring the fight to him?”

Doctor Strange smiled. “Tony said you were a smart kid. Yes, Peter, we are going to have to bring the fight to him… In the dream dimension. It’s the only way to beat him.”

“Okay, I’m in,” Peter said. “So what do we do once we’re in there?”

“Nightmare will be expecting it, so he’s going to throw your worst nightmares at us,” Wong explained. “We will fight them, but once Nightmare makes his appearance, Strange and I will perform the ritual from the Book of Cagliostro to trap him again.”

“Will it hold him this time?” Peter asked.

“Wong has found a way he thinks he can amend it,” Strange noted. “But I won’t say more about it now.” He clapped Peter on the back. “Suit up, gonna want to have all the bells and whistles for this trip.”

“I’m coming too,” Michelle announced walking toward Peter. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. “I want to help.”

Peter gave her a small smile. “MJ, it’s dangerous…”

“Yes it is, and Peter has powers, you do not,” Wong added.

“So? You think you’re all going to get through the dream dimension on fighting alone? You said it yourself, Doctor Strange, he’s going to throw Peter’s worst nightmares at us. Peter’s going to need some inner strength for this.”

Peter realized she was right. He’s been plagued by these nightmares for months now, and it was obvious he was having trouble getting over them himself. He can fight criminals all day, but dealing with emotional stuff? It was more than he has been able to handle. Peter looked at Doctor Strange. “She’ll be okay, I promise.”

“This isn’t a field trip, this is another dimension. You, Peter,  of all people know how dangerous that is.” He sighed. “But, if it’s just Michelle…”

“Oh come on!” Ned whined. “I want to go to another dimension too!”

“Someone needs to stay here and watch over our bodies,” Doctor Strange said.

“Wait, what?” Peter looked at him confused. “What do you mean look over our bodies?”

“We enter the dream dimension in a sleep state, using our astral bodies,” Strange explained. “So our physical forms will be here, while our consciousness will be in the other dimension.”

“Man, that sounds so cool, it’s not fair,” Ned groaned.

“Hey Ned, you’re the guy in the chair, right?” Peter replied, leaving Michelle to go and comfort his friend. “I need you here. To protect us. You and…” Peter looked over at Harry who finally looked up at him. His expression was cold. “Harry.”

Harry gave him a curt nod and looked away again. Ned kicked the air. “Fine. I’ll stay and protect you. Can I have a magic sword or wand or something to use as a weapon?”

“NO,” Strange and Wong said in unison.

“Come on, we have some preparations to do before we go, and I’m sure you all need to prepare in your own ways,” Strange said, ushering them all out of the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I probably took some liberties with Nightmare's powers and abilities, but they are for the good of the story :)


	15. Author's Note

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry for the delay in my next chapter. We took a cruise this past week, and it left me little time to write and since Internet cost an arm and a leg on the boat, I didn't get a chance to post an update for you guys. I am hoping to have the next two chapters out by this weekend. I'm so sorry for the delay, but thank you for sticking with me!

Amanda


	16. Preparing for Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay guys! Between the cruise and then getting back to work, catching up on school work, and my comic book show, I haven't had time to finish this chapter. But it's up now! There are a few references to this work's predecessor, The Hunter and the Hunted, so if you haven't read that yet, take a look :) 
> 
> Thanks my loyal readers as always I love you!

**_Harry’s POV_ **

Doctor Strange and Wong had gone upstairs to prepare for their trip to the Dream Dimension, Strange told Peter, Harry, Michelle, and Ned to stay downstairs and not touch anything “or the Demons of Denak will claw your eyes out.”

Harry wasn’t quite sure if Ned squealed from fear or excitement. He glanced down at his phone and saw several text message notifications had appeared. He knew exactly who they were.

“Hey Harry?”

Harry felt Peter’s hand tap his arm, and he quickly shoved his phone back into his pocket. He took a breath and turned around. “Yeah, Pete, what’s up?” He tried to act as indifferently as possible, which was difficult when he was facing Peter. He noticed that Michelle and Ned had kept walking into the sitting room on the opposite side of the hall.

Peter looked at him nervously, scratching the back of his head. “Um, can I talk to you for a second?” Harry shrugged, but followed Peter to the grand staircase of the Sanctum. Peter slowly sat down, and Harry followed suit. He didn’t say anything at first, just kind of looked at his hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Then Peter said, “I didn’t, uh, mean to keep it from you.”

Harry closed his eyes and tried to swallow the anger rising in his chest. “But you did.”

“I know, and I was going to tell you about what happened to me at school, but you got so mad, man, and then I had that fainting spell.”

“Funny how convenient those things are for you,” Harry remarked, rolling his eyes.

“Dude, come on,” Peter sighed. “What I’m trying to say is I’m sorry, okay?” Peter looked down at his hands.

Harry thought about the text messages, thought about the possibilities that lay in the Sanctum. “It’s okay,” he mumbled. “I get it.” Peter gave him a half-smile. “I still don’t get why we can’t ask your buddy the Doctor wizard to help us bring my mom back though.”

Peter’s smile fell. “Harry, Doctor Strange is here to protect our reality, he’s not here to bring people back from the dead,” Harry wanted to point out the part of Peter’s story about half the universe dying and coming back to life, but Peter stopped him, “that was different Harry. That was saving the universe; righting a wrong that wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“You’re saying my mom’s death was supposed to happen?”

Peter fumbled over his words. “No, uh, no, that’s not, what… I… what I mean is… it was just something the developed inside of her over time, it wasn’t some alien guy trying to fix an overpopulation problem with mass murder.” Peter put his hand to his forehead. “Ugh, I’m having a hard time explaining this… but I’m trying. Trust me, when I saw the time stone in action, I also had thought about my parents and my Uncle Ben… but Doctor Strange told me how messy it is when you start messing with time. You create alternate realities that were never meant to exist or mess up our reality in some unknown way… like the Grandfather Paradox!”

“Grandfather Paradox? Peter, you know I don’t understand this science stuff…”

“Okay, like _Back to the Future_ , you know go back in time and you mess with an ancestor and then you’re never born.”

“So, you’re saying if we tried to bring my mom back and cure her cancer, I would what… have a happy normal childhood instead of the screwed-up nightmare that mine actually was?” Harry simmered. “Yeah, I got it, Peter. You don’t have to explain it anymore. You’re just making yourself sound worse.”

Peter frowned. “I’m sorry, Harry, I wish there was another way, but there’s not.” Harry saw his eyes travel upward behind them, and Harry turned around to see Doctor Strange standing on the landing above them. He eyed them both with interest, but Harry most of all. He wondered if Peter had said anything to him about Fisk.

Either way, he was making Harry uncomfortable. “I think I’m going to go outside and get some air quick.” He stood up and gave the Doctor a slight nod before escaping out the front door. He quickly closed the heavy wooden door behind him and leaned against it breathing a sigh of relief.

He realized that he had been somewhat holding his breath in there that whole time. As if he was scared to get comfortable there, like he didn’t belong. _Maybe I don’t,_ he thought sulkily. _Maybe I’ve been pretending too long to be something I’m not; I’m not Ned, I don’t want to be Peter’s sidekick. I don’t want some scrawny kid who just got lucky to tell me what I should do._ He pulled his phone out of his pocket and stared down at the text messages.

GIVE ME GOOD NEWS OSBORN.

WHY AREN’T YOU ANSWERING MY TEXTS? HAVE YOU BACKED OUT ON ME?

OSBORN, DOUBLE CROSSING ME IS NOT A GOOD STRATEGY.

Harry thumbed over the screen, staring at the digital keyboard. He knew what he had to type, what he should type, but now, faced with the decision, it made him nervous. He glanced back at the door. _If I do this, Peter’s never going to talk to me again._ He remembered something Tony Stark had said to him a year ago after his father died.

_Peter trusts you, so I should trust you too._

Suddenly, Harry’s phone started ringing. FISK popped up on the screen. Harry glanced back at the door once more and then hit the Accept button.

“Hey, Mr. Fisk, um, sorry for the not getting back to you… it’s been a night.” He paused listening to Fisk talk. “Uh yeah, actually I think I have found the perfect time for you to come here and check it out. It’s gotta be in like an hour, and we gotta be fast. We only have a small window when the wizards will be _out of the house_ , so-to-speak…. Okay, I’ll see you soon.” He hung up and clutched the phone in his hand tightly.

_I’m sorry, Pete. Maybe you’ll forgive me… one day._

**_Peter’s POV_ **

“I see why Wong hates teenagers around,” Doctor Strange commented as he took a seat next to Peter on the stairs. Harry had stormed off outside, and Peter still didn’t feel any better about things between them.

_He needs a friend like you to keep him grounded_. Peter remembered those words from Tony over a year ago as they sat in his apartment after Norman’s death. He had come to regard Harry as one of his best friends, so it hurt him that they seemed to develop a rift that he kept widening.

“Yeah, sorry about the, uh, teenage drama, Doc. Me and Harry… well, it’s complicated.”

“I can see that. I guess Harry has some ideas about time travel then.”

“Well yeah, but magic in general… Hey Doc, is there a spell in here that could cure cancer?”

Doctor Strange let out a shocked laugh. “Not in the way Harry would think.” He looked down at his own hands, covered in scars from the surgeries he had to get them fixed. Peter watched them tremor just a bit. “I, too, looked to Eastern medicine when our own modern medicine seemed to fail me. All I wanted was to be the best neurosurgeon again. I went to Kamar-Taj and trained, but they never seemed to heal, not completely. After months of training, the Ancient One finally revealed to me, on her own deathbed, how others channeled dimensional energy into their bodies constantly to heal themselves of ailments.”

“Sounds exhausting,” Peter said as the idea of having to do anything constantly and unending seemed less than appealing.

“Yes, and it would require a lot of energy, especially for someone who is not trained in the mystic arts.” He patted Peter’s knee. “Harry doesn’t understand the responsibilities that are placed on those of us who have abilities to protect this world. He sees our gifts, our skills as weapons or a way to gain advantage over other people.”

“No, not Harry,” Peter disagreed. “That’s his father. Trust me, Norman Osborn wanted to exploit my powers for his gain. But I don’t think Harry would do that, he just wants to get his mom back, I think…”

“For now… that’s all he wants.” Doctor Strange looked up and smiled. “You know what? I think I have a few more things to do before we journey to the dream dimension. I’ll leave you to it.”

Peter looked up to what had caught his attention, and he saw Michelle standing just on the edge of sitting room entrance, leaning up against it. By the look of her, she wanted to talk. He gave Doctor Strange a grateful look, and the older man took his leave.

“So, how much have you heard this time?” Peter asked.

She pushed off the doorway and walked toward him slowly. “Enough to know that something’s up with Harry and even Doctor Magic and his Mystical Cape know it.”

“Hey that would make a great title of a movie, don’t you think?” Peter joked. She smiled in satisfaction at Peter’s enjoyment and sat down next to him on the step. “Oh yes, come sit down in my office, let’s chat. Apparently, this very uncomfortable wooden step is now the hot spot to have deep conversations with me.”

“You should have picked the chaise lounge in that room, it looks a helluva lot more comfortable,” she replied. She grabbed his hand and intertwined it with hers. “So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how scared should I be?”

Peter shrugged. “You have me, Doc, and Wong, plus, you’re pretty bad-ass yourself, so I’d say a 5.”

“Oh wow, right in the middle there. So, this could go either way.” She reached up with her other hand and pushed a piece of Peter’s hair off his forehead. When his Aunt May did it, Peter felt like a child. When Michelle did it he felt something else entirely; a flutter in his stomach, a pleasurable ache between his legs. He wanted nothing more than to take her to that chaise lounge and take off all of their clothes. “Are you thinking about sex right now?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Peter reddened. “What!? I don’t know what you’re… is it that obvious?”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “I’m flattered that you are at least thinking about that instead of the fact that we are about to enter a whole other dimension.”

“Well, technically I was already in another dimension, you know with the Soul Realm, so this is all old news to me.”

Michelle pushed him playfully. “Whatever, so what happened with Harry?”

“Well, he’s still not happy about me not trying to use Doctor Strange’s help to bring his mom back.” Peter glanced around the room. “And, there’s something else I haven’t told the Doc either.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know, but ever since you guys came to pick me up for the party, my spider senses keep acting out around Harry. Like I’m in danger around him. That’s never happened before.”

“Are you sure it’s because of Harry and not because there’s a dimensional being trying to weasel his way into your dreams and suck out your soul?”

Peter nodded. “You know, now that you say that, maybe that is what it’s been this whole time. And maybe it’s just a coincidence that its around Harry.”

“Yeah, I mean, Harry’s many things, chauvinistic, arrogant, rude, demanding,”

“Oh, go on tell me how you really feel,” Peter laughed.

“But dangerous I think not. Deep down, I think he really cares about you and us. You should have seen the way he defended you and me at the party tonight.”

“You? Who’d he defend you from?”

He watched Michelle’s face drop. “Oh, um, Eddie, he tried to hit on me.”

“He WHAT! Dammit, I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone!”

Michelle sat back. “Okay, Peter, I can take care of myself.” She rolled her eyes again. “It was nice of Harry to step in and tell him to back off though. And that was partly for you, too.”

Peter groaned. “I wish I had known that, now I feel like even more of a jerk.”

“It’s okay it’s not like Harry hasn’t been a jerk to you too,” she replied, shrugging.

“Yeah… he kind of has. But I’ve kinda deserved it too, ignoring you guys and all… I’m surprised you’re even still here,” He said dully, hanging his head. “Harry made a comment earlier about you liking that Eddie guy, and…”

“No, Peter, stop,” she ordered. “I don’t like Eddie. Is he attractive? Sure, he’s attractive. Is he smart? Sure, he’s smart,”

“Uh, if you’re trying to make me feel better about this, you’re doing a terrible job…”

“But he’s not you.” She lifted his head and placed her lips on his, softly yet determined. “I love you, loser, and I think I have before you ever loved me.”

“Not true!” Peter protested.

“Oh, so Liz was all a fake-out?”

Peter laughed nervously. “What? You didn’t like me back then… you didn’t really like anyone back then,” he paused as he noticed a slight red blush start to crawl up her neck; she looked away. “No, you didn’t… but you pretty much ignored me, ignored everyone!”

“It’s easier sometimes,” she replied shortly. “But I liked you a lot, Peter.  Do you remember our first class together, Freshman year when Flash tripped you and you fell on top of my sketchpad?”

Peter did remember that. It was the first week of Freshman year at Midtown and Peter was nervous, wanting to make a good impression and maybe be popular. He didn’t yet have the powers that would come to play such a huge part in his life and Tony Stark and the rest of the Avengers were just idols he watched from afar on television.

He and Ned were walking into their gym class, Peter’s gym shirt and shorts nearly hanging off of him, while Ned’s were too tight. Ned was trying to give Peter tips of shooting a basketball – apparently, he played a little bit at his cousin’s house in California and was now a pro – when they walked past Flash and his friends. Flash casually stuck his foot out and Peter went flying right onto the ground on top of Michelle, who was sitting on her stomach on the floor sketching. Peter remembered how embarrassed he felt as everyone started laughing and Flash made the comment, “Walk much Penis Parker!?” it was there that he began that horrible nickname.

Peter had scrambled up and apologized profusely to Michelle. She had just slowly stood up and then turned to face him as if she wanted to yell at him. But she didn’t she just looked at him in her observant way and just shrugged. “It’s cool.” That was all she said and she walked away and sat down on the far end of the bleachers.

“You barely said anything to me!” Peter exclaimed.

She shrugged like she had that day. “I couldn’t. I wasn’t expecting you to fall on me. I thought you’d be just some dorky kid. But not you.”

“I am a dorky kid…”

“Not to me,” she replied softly.

Peter stared at her opened mouth. He was still processing what Michelle said. “I…I… I guess I wish I had known…”

“It wasn’t meant to be yet,” she said simply. “It happened exactly when it needed to.”

Peter liked the way she put that. It was something that he was struggling with and he knew Harry was struggling with too. Things happen when they are supposed to happen and they happen for a reason. He was just trying to figure out what the reasons were.

“Ahem, Peter?”

Peter and Michelle both turned to see Doctor Strange standing above them. “Oh, hey Doc, are you always going to sneak up on me when I’m having private conversations with other people?”

“Perhaps you should have them somewhere else then.” He gave Peter a tense look. “Get Ned and Harry…. And put on your suit. We’re ready.”

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

She and Peter stood up quickly, as Doctor Strange’s terse command seemed to be the right push they needed to get moving. She was still thinking about Peter, about Harry, about Eddie, but she had to push it all deep inside so that she could focus on helping Peter. She needed to help Peter; she was beginning to think more so for herself than him.

She gave Peter a reassuring smile. “I’m going to grab the boys, go get on those tight long johns.”

“Haha very funny…”

 Peter followed Doctor Strange up the stairs to change into his Spider-Man suit, and Michelle ran down the stairs and into the sitting room where Ned was pouring over a large, dusty book. “So, find a good Expelliarmus spell or anything to get us out of this mess?” she asked.

Ned looked up and smiled widely. “We are going to have so many Harry Potter conversations now, I’m excited about this,” he replied and she rolled her eyes. “No, I was just reading about this Cagliostro guy. He was something else.”

“Right, well, history lesson will have to wait, Doctor Strange is ready.”

Ned nodded and shut the book without a whine or complaint. Michelle noticed for the first time that Ned had a more serious air about him. Something in him had changed over these last few months, as it had for all of them. She wondered if that was what it was like, growing up. The person you were as a child slowly melted and mixed with the person you’d become as an adult.

“Hey can you try to convince the Doctor to give me like one magical weapon maybe?” Ned asked her. “He seems to like you more.”

_And then he says that,_ she thought shaking her head. “No, Ned. You don’t need a magical weapon to protect us because nothing is going to happen.”

Ned pouted but ran up to meet Peter and Doctor Strange without another word.

Michelle sighed and then turned to the front door. She knew she had to get Harry next. She opened up the front door and peered out. She noticed Harry sitting on the front stoop, staring at his phone. “My dad says too much screen time will rot your brain,” she called out to him.

He jumped in surprise. “MJ, hi, I didn’t expect you to…”

“They’re ready.”

He shoved his phone in his pocket and stood up. “Great, let’s fix Peter’s brain then.” He started up the stairs, and Michelle noticed something was off. He seemed nervous, shifty. She placed a hand on his chest.

“Harry, what’s going on with you?”

Harry looked up at her with his poker face. “Not sure what you’re talking about MJ, I’m fine.”

She didn’t believe him. “Harry, if you screw Peter over…”

“You’ll what? Spray me with pepper spray? Beat me senseless with your carefully chosen words?” He rolled his eyes. “When are you going to stop assuming I’m the bad guy?”

“When you stop acting like one,” she replied, crossing her arms. “I like you Harry. Don’t screw this up.”

He smirked. “You know MJ, if you and Pete didn’t hook up, I really think we would have been a great couple.”

Michelle groaned and started walking into the Sanctum. “I highly doubt that.”

“What!? You kidding me? I’m so used to girls who just want to jump all over me without any respect for themselves; girls who aren’t the brightest, it’d be such a nice change to date a girl who didn’t put up with my shit.”

“Well, too bad neither one of us are attracted to one another,” she replied, starting up the stairs.

“Yeah…” Harry trailed off. “Too bad.”

Michelle paused, hearing something hidden in his voice. If it was any other day, she’d respond to it, but at that moment, she had to focus on helping Peter escape the clutches of the Nightmare demon. She continued walking up the stairs, her mind scattered as she tried to forcefully focus on the task at hand. She entered Doctor Strange’s meditation room where Peter and Ned were already waiting along with the Doctor and Wong. Peter was fidgeting with his mask, hopping lightly from foot to foot, a nervous tick. Ned was blabbering to him, pointing out an interesting jar in one corner, and an odd-looking serpent statue in another. She could tell Peter was on edge because he was only half-listening to Ned’s exclamations. Honestly, he was starting to look like he might be getting sick.

She walked over to them and rested a hand on his shoulder. Her touch seemed to break Peter’s trance and the paleness in his face started to fade. She slid her hand down his arm and grabbed his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He half-smiled at her in his typically Peter-like smile; the one that melted Michelle’s most sour mood. Michelle noticed Harry enter the room out of the corner of her eye. He looked weary. She felt Peter stiffen next to her as Harry entered, and she remembered what Peter had mentioned to her moments ago about his spider senses acting up around Harry suddenly. “Maybe I should stay behind,” she said quietly so that just Peter could hear her.

He found her eyes with his own. “No, I want you to come,” he said earnestly. Then in a louder voice, he asked, “Are we ready to get started? I’d like to be poltergeist free.”

“It’s not a poltergeist!” Wong exclaimed with frustration.

Doctor Strange motioned to Wong to calm himself. “I think Mr. Parker is just using a pop culture reference as a joke. He tends to do that a lot.” He winked at Peter. “But yes, let’s get this going. We do have a demon to trap.”

Peter pulled Michelle over to the center of the room, and Doctor Strange ordered them to sit in a circle. Michelle took her place between Wong and Peter.

“All right, Harry, Ned, do not be alarmed. While our bodies will still be here, our consciousness will not. Just keep watch.”

“And don’t try writing Penis on my forehead!” Peter exclaimed.

Wong rolled his eyes with a huff. “Yes, please don’t do that…” Strange said slowly, looking at Peter with an startled expression. “Okay… Peter, MJ, grab our hands. We are going to transfer our magical energy through you to help your astral bodies remove themselves from your physical bodies.” He closed his eyes and Michelle and Peter followed suit.

The room went eerily silent, the only sounds floating around were the heavy and soft breaths of each person in the room. Michelle peeked through the slit of her eye and glanced at Peter, who had put his mask on. His head turned toward her, and his white mechanical spider eyes squinting at her with inquisitiveness. She couldn’t help but shudder a little bit at the way they looked at her. Quickly, she shut her eyes again.

Then, Michelle felt a tug in the pit of her stomach. It wasn’t painful, just uncomfortable. She pressed her eyelids together harder as the sensation swept up her body and seemed to push her outside of it. The rush felt as if she was being pulled upward quickly with force that made the wind rush between her ears. She gasped and quickly opened her eyes.

She was no longer sitting in the meditation room at the Sanctum. She was on all fours in the middle of a street. _A street?_

She looked up and saw four story brick apartment complexes and condos littering either side of an empty city street, not unlike… “Wait a minute… Is this Queens?” She slowly stood up to take in her surroundings. The buildings looked familiar, she figured they must have been on 83rd street. She turned slowly around until she faced the other side of the street where St. Adalbert Catholic Church stood high and proud, its ornate copper spire a beacon for the downtrodden. She glanced over at Doctor Strange and Wong who were also standing at this point and observing their surroundings with grim expressions.

There were two things that Michelle noticed that made this Queens vastly different from the one she knew. First, there were no cars on the street. Second, there were no people… other than her traveling party. It was eerily silent and dark as the sky was downcast as if it were about to rain.

“Oh no,” Peter said, as he slowly rose to his own feet and pulled off his mask. Michelle walked over to him.

“What is it?”

His face was pale with fear. Doctor Strange must have noticed it too, for he readied himself with two energy shields, Wong doing the same. “So, it begins,” Strange said ominously, and Michelle felt a shiver run down her spine.


	17. Into the Dream Dimension

**_Peter’s POV_ **

“What is it?” Michelle asked as she took his hand into her own. Peter could feel the palpitations start growing in his chest pounding in his ears. He knew this place, this church. It haunted his nightmares regularly as a child. It was a place he hadn’t visited in real life since he was eight years old.

“So, it begins,” Doctor Strange said, and Peter looked over at him. He was watching Peter intently, and he knew that they in one of Peter’s nightmares. “Peter, do not let yourself get taken in by your fear. If you do, you only feed Nightmare more, making him stronger and making it harder for us to fight him.”

Peter nodded but had a pained look on his face. “Sure Doc, that’s easy since we’re sitting in a nightmare I’ve had since I was 8!”

“What is this nightmare?” Michelle asked him.

He heard a low, sinister laugh somewhere in the distance and the suddenly the doors to the church flung open. Peter readied himself as younger versions of his Aunt May and his now-deceased Uncle Ben hurried out. Aunt May was fuming and Ben was trying to catch up with her to calm her down.

“Peter is that your aunt and uncle?” he just nodded and then looked over to the left of them where now a tiny blue Prius sat. He knew who was sitting in that car because in his dreams he was looking out of the windows of that car.

“May, will you calm down!?” Ben exclaimed as his Aunt stormed down the steps of the church to the sidewalk.

“Ben, that woman may not have never liked me, but she has no right to talk to me like that!” May shouted, her black hair, long even then, swirling in a breeze that suddenly started picking up.

“May, she’s upset, we all are. This is a very difficult day for all of us,” Ben pleaded.

“Yes, it is a difficult day for all of us, which is why she shouldn’t force Peter to do something he doesn’t want to do!”

Suddenly, the car door opened slowly and Peter watched as a much younger version of himself, small and unsure, climbed out. He was wearing his old toy Iron Man helmet; the same one he wore the night his parents were killed.

“Oh Peter,” Michelle whispered, her hand squeezing his. He didn’t need to look over at her to know that she guessed what they were witnessing.

Aunt May fell to her knees in front of young Peter. “I can’t go in, Aunt May, I know… I know Granny wants me to…”

“Shhh, Peter, it’s okay,” Aunt May said in a soothing voice. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. They wouldn’t want you to be upset.”

“Benjamin Parker!” The screeching voice came from the top of the church steps. A short, stocky woman with gray hair. “Get that boy in there NOW!”

Peter took a step forward toward his younger self. “Peter be careful. We should move from here, if we linger, something bad will happen,” Doctor Strange called out. Peter glanced back at him.

“I can’t, I need to…” he trailed off as his grandmother and his uncle started yelling at each other.

“He’s scared ma, he doesn’t want to go in there. I mean do you blame him?”

“You’ve been brainwashed by that trash you decided to marry!” Granny Parker shouted. “It is disrespectful to Richard and Mary that he does not go in there. It’s his fault they are dead!”

Peter heard Michelle gasp behind him. He kept moving forward. He had heard all of this before; it was nothing new to him. He knew what his grandmother had thought. The night of the Stark expo… they got separated… And Tony saved him, but his parents weren’t so lucky. But he wanted to go….

“How dare you, he’s a child!” May exclaimed.

Granny Parker lumbered up to her and young Peter. “Peter Benjamin Parker, you are going to go into that church right now and say goodbye to your parents.”

Young Peter shook his head. “P….p….please Granny, I don’t want to.”

“Psht, you don’t know what you want. And take off that stupid helmet, I can’t hear you properly.” She grabbed at the helmet, which Peter placed his hands on. “Peter, stop it. You’re acting like a little brat!”

“Mrs. Parker, I’ve never hit an old woman before, but I’m about to,” May said through gritted teeth. “Leave him alone.”

“May,” Ben whispered harshly.

Granny Parker then grabbed young Peter’s hand. “Come on.” She started dragging him toward the church and Peter followed them.

“No Peter, we need to leave this!” Strange shouted after him, but Peter couldn’t. He had watched this dream play out for years, and he wanted to… no he needed to fix it.

“Okay, I’m following him,” he heard Michelle say.

Peter pushed the doors to the church open and stopped dead. He saw the two black caskets at the front of the empty church the tops opened up revealing the white silk cushion underside. Peter knew what he would find in the bottom of each casket. He shuddered.

His grandmother and younger version of himself were stopped in the middle of the aisle. He was struggling to get away, his heels dug into the carpet while she tried to pull him toward the two caskets. “Please no, I can’t!” he cried. “Please Granny, please, no!”

Peter hesitated, ready to free his younger self from his grandmother’s grasp, but then he felt a figure push past him. He watched in shock to see Michelle storming his grandmother. “MJ, no!” He exclaimed, but she wasn’t listening. “Oh crap,” Peter started for them, but didn’t make it in time for Michelle to grab a hold of his grandmother’s arm and push her off of his eight-year-old self. Peter gasped as he watched his grandmother fall to the floor, her eyes wide with shock.

Michelle then turned to the young Peter. “Hey,” she said quietly, bending down to look at him face-to-face. “Hey, don’t cry,” she whispered. She took his little hand into hers and squeezed it gently. Peter jumped as he looked down at his own hand, feeling the same squeeze.

 _How is that possible?_ He thought.

“He’s a projection of you Peter,” Doctor Strange said, coming toward him. “You can feel what he feels and vice versa.”

“We shouldn’t be here,” Wong said sternly, joining them. “We are wasting time. We need to find Nightmare.”

“Yes, well, I think this might be necessary now that I am looking at it,” Strange replied, his own eyes fixated on Michelle and young Peter.

“Hey, Peter, my name is Michelle,” she said to him. “I’m a friend. Could you take that helmet off for me buddy?”

Young Peter nodded and slowly pulled the helmet off. Peter found it strangely disconcerting to see his younger self in the flesh. He still had Peter’s dark hair that curled in the heat, but his face was rounder and softer, and there was an innocence to him that Peter felt was long gone. He watched as Michelle smiled at his younger self and ruffled the curls on his head.

“That’s better,” Michelle said.

“I don’t want to see them,” he said quietly. “What if they have worms coming out of their eyes? Or… or… worse there’s blood everywhere!?” large droplets of tears started to fall from his wide brown eyes. “It’s all my fault, like Granny said. I wanted to see Iron Man.”

“You know, I’m going to point out the strange irony of all this to your older self, one day,” Michelle, glancing up at Peter. He just shrugged helplessly. “But right now, I think we need to face this fear head on, don’t you think? I know you’re strong, Peter. You’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever met.”

“How do you know that, you just met me!” Young Peter exclaimed, but his chest had swelled with pride and he was smiling now.

“Call it a hunch.” Michelle took his hand. “Come on, what do you say?”

He nodded and she walked him up to the caskets. Peter hurried after them, jumping over his grandmother who was watching wide-eyed on the ground. He had never made it that far in the dream and was eager to find out what happened next.

Michelle and young Peter stopped in front of the caskets, and Michelle tapped him on the shoulder. He had his eyes covered with his hands. “It’s okay, it’s like they’re sleeping.”

Peter thought about the number of dead bodies he had seen since becoming Spider-Man. Seeing… _Tony_. He walked up behind them and peered into the casket. There were his parents, eyes closed, skin white and stiff. Everything about them was stiff including their hair and clothes. Their hands were folded across their stomachs. His mother… his father… just as he remembered that day now nine yeas ago. They looked nothing like Tony had, blood soaking through his shirt, cuts and bruises on his face from a fight long fought. They just looked peaceful. Peter didn’t even know why this was a nightmare anyway.

Then suddenly, the air in the room started to thin, and Peter heard a wind pick up behind them. He and Michelle turned around, and Peter gaped at what he saw next. Peter took a few steps forward away from Michelle to confront what was causing this new commotion.

“Silly girl,” hissed his grandmother’s figure, but her eyes were pitch black and the air around her started kicking up. She was slowly transforming into a larger figure, dark and menacing. “You were foolish to come here.”

“I told you we should have kept moving!” Wong shouted as he and Doctor Strange raced forward to help Peter and Michelle. Strange and Wong started shooting off fire bolts out of their hands at Peter’s grandmother, turning her attention away from Peter and Michelle.

Peter turned back to Michelle and noticed that the younger version of himself was gone. He also noticed that his parents were now sitting up out of their coffins staring at the back of Michelle’s head.

“Oh No! MJ!” Peter shouted as he swung into action, leaping into the air toward her.

Michelle turned around and froze as she stared into the glowing red eyes of Peter’s dead parents. “Oh no,” she said weakly.

“How dare you! You think you can replace me?!” his mother’s corpse boomed, as her skin began to disintegrate, black fumes smoking out of the crevices. She started to climb out of the coffin. “Peter is mine.”

She slashed her arm out toward Michelle long claw-like nails nearly, but Peter was quicker, swooping her up into his arms. Just as he was about to lift off, he felt a large hand grab hold of his shoulder and swipe down, tearing the fabric of his suit and drawing blood. The claws dug deep into Peter’s skin, making him cry out and drop Michelle.

“PETER!” she shouted as he watched the zombie version of his mother scurried over to her on all-fours, her body contorted in abnormal ways. Peter shot a web out to snatch her up but was pulled again by the claw-like nails, this time on his other shoulder. His webs fell short and he watched in horror as the decaying corpse of his mother crawled on top of Michelle. He could sense the claws coming at him again, and he duck and spun out his foot to trip his attacker.

The heavy corpse of his attacker fell with a thud and a hiss. Peter jumped up and realized he was staring into the fiery eyes of his dead father. “Wow, this is feeling very Shakespearian, dad,” he joked weakly.

His father’s animated corpse jumped to its feet with surprising agility. Peter could see that his fingertips were stained with Peter’s blood. “I shouldn’t be surprised you’d replace me with Stark; if it wasn’t for your obsession with him, me and your mother would still be alive.” He lunged for Peter, and Peter shot out a web net that caught his father mid-lunge, dropping him to the floor.

Peter’s heart was pounding in his ears as he walked up to his father. “I’m sorry dad, I have spent years blaming myself, but it’s not my fault. I was just a kid; and it’s not Tony’s fault either.”

His father’s red eyes narrowed and he shrieked in agony. Peter didn’t have time to entertain him any longer, he had to save Michelle. He turned away from his father and sprinted toward his mother and Michelle, who were tussling on the floor.

“G…g…get off… of… me!” Michelle cried out as she pressed her palm against Mary’s throat trying to keep her at bay as she swiped her own arms at Michelle’s face, trying to tear her face off. Peter shot out a web that wrapped around one of his mother’s arms. He pulled back hard and she went flying back, hitting the stained-glass wall at the front of the church, shattering the ornate image of Jesus as she fell onto the floor, lifeless.

“MJ, MJ!” Peter exclaimed, dropping down next to her. Michelle had her hands over her face and she was weeping. “MJ, shhh, hey, it’s okay!” Peter soothed, grabbing her hands and pulling them away.

She had a long cut along her left cheek that was bleeding bright red blood, and her eyes were wide with fear. “Peter, she was relentless. She wanted to kill me, I never…”

Peter pulled her to her feet. “I know, I’m sorry. Wong was right, I shouldn’t have gotten wrapped up in this dream… I just wanted to see how it ended…”

“PETER!”

He looked up from Michelle and saw Doctor Strange and Wong had contained the nightmarish-version of his grandmother in a blue sphere. Peter and Michelle ran over to them.

“Uh… what am I supposed to do?” Peter asked, looking between Strange and Wong dumbfounded. “It’s not like I have magical webs or anything…”

“It’s not about magic Peter,” Strange asserted. “It’s about your mind. Your fear. You need to be the one to defeat her.”

He watched as his grandmother pounded on the sphere, shouting at Peter. “Worthless, good-for-nothing! Just like your Uncle! Sleeping with a harlot too!”

“Jesus, that’s harsh,” Michelle muttered. “This is coming from your mind?” she narrowed her eyes at Peter.

He winced. “I definitely do not think you’re a harlot, MJ…. I’m pretty sure I don’t even really know what that is…” He sighed and shoved his mask back on. “Okay, let her down, I’ll deal with her.”

Strange nodded and then he and Wong lowered their hands and the sphere disappeared, his grandmother’s body dropped onto the floor. She picked herself up with much more ease than a woman her age should have and squared off against them. “You wretched little boy. You killed my favorite son. You’ll never be as great as your father was!” she shouted as she lifted up the church pews with some form of telekinesis and started hurling them in Peter’s direction.

“Whoa, Granny! Can’t we just be adults about this?!” Peter exclaimed, catching the pews with his webbing and hurling them back at her. She deftly jumped over them, practically floating in the air, but one that Peter had curved hit her right in the side and she fell to the ground with an ‘oomph,’ trapped underneath the pew.

Doctor Strange used his own powers to pick up a few and pile them on top. “That should hold her. Peter,” he looked at Peter and gestured toward his grandmother.

Peter gulped and walked over to her carefully. He had only seen his grandmother once after the funeral and then she had passed away from sudden cardiac arrest. She was never nice to him though, even in her final days. He stood over top of her demonic figure as she pushed against the pews. “I think you need a time-out Granny and think about what you did.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You were my only family besides Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and you hated me. That wasn’t fair to me. I was only eight! I’m not scared of you anymore though. I know what you really are.”

She glared at him, but her breathing was starting to diminish, her struggling getting less. “You think this is how you will defeat me, boy?” The voice coming out was not female, but male.

Peter stumbled back. “Uh, Granny?”

“It’s not Granny anymore, Peter!” Strange shouted.

Her form seemed to wither before his eyes and turned to dust; just like he did.

“Peter?” He turned around and looked at MJ who was staring at him in disbelief. “What’s happening?”

Peter suddenly felt weak, and his head started buzzing from his spider senses that made him feel nauseous. Peter stumbled from his suddenly weak limbs, his mind racing for answers, but there was only one conclusion he could come to; he was dying… again. He looked down at his body and realize he too was disintegrating, just like before. “ _No_ ,” he whispered fervently and kept repeating it over and over again.

“Peter, you need to stay calm!” Strange shouted as hurried toward him. “It’s not real, Peter, it’s not real!”

“ _Oh but it is real, Peter_ ,” that same deep voice echoed throughout the demolished church. “ _It’s your death, Peter, all over again, do you feel it?”_ Peter could hear a tinge of glee in his voice.

Peter felt Doctor Strange’s hand grab a hold of his. “Peter, this is all Nightmare, do you understand? It’s all part of the dream. If you give in, you will be lost. Peter, listen to me… LISTEN!”

But Peter couldn’t hear Doctor Strange anymore, it was all becoming white noise to him. He looked at Michelle who stared at him in horror, her body shaking, tears springing from her eyes. He couldn’t stop it, he couldn’t relax his mind, his body. The pain was too great, the fear…

He fell to the floor, Doctor Strange dropping to his knees next to him. Just like Tony did. Just like the day he died. Peter couldn’t feel his fingers around his wrist anymore because his wrist wasn’t there. And as he let the fear and pain consume him, he found that he couldn’t see anything anymore; just complete darkness.

“ _Ah, ready to have some fun, Sorcerer? If you want the boy, you’re going to have to work harder than that. Let’s play a game of hide and seek…”_


	18. Bad Guy is in the Eye of the Beholder

**_Harry’s POV_ **

“How long do you think they’re going to be out?” Ned asked, squatting down next to Peter and waving his hand in front of his face.

“Dude, he’s wearing his mask, how would you know if he was awake under there anyway?” Harry said, annoyed and also anxious. He pulled his phone out and started skimming through his text messages. As soon as they all started to “fall asleep” – he wasn’t exactly sure if they were actually asleep or if their souls were out of their bodies… and he didn’t want to think too hard on it – he texted Fisk to let him know the coast was clear.

“His mechanical eyes would start moving around,” Ned said casually. “The suit is intuitive to Peter’s movement so it mimic’s him.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” His phone started buzzing, and it startled him, making him jump and nearly drop his phone.

Ned stopped admiring the long sword with an obsidian blade and silver hilt to look up at him. “Uh, Harry, you okay?”

Harry stood up quickly and held his phone close to his chest. “Y…yeah, sorry I’m just a little weirded out by all of this,” he gestured toward their sleeping companions. “I’m going to hang out downstairs a little bit.”

Ned frowned. “But we have to stay here and watch them.”

“Ned, they aren’t going anywhere, and… if I’m downstairs, I can be like the first line of defense you know? Warn you if something’s coming.”

Ned thought about this for a second and then grinned. “Sure that actually makes a lot of sense.”

 _It really does. Damn, I’m great at lying_ , Harry thought. “Good, okay then, I will be back up in a little then.”

He scurried out of the room and took the stairs two at a time until he reached the foyer. He could see the shadowed outline of several large figures in the door, one of them Fisk. His burliness was evident even through the etched glass windows of the large framed door. Harry took a breath and then opened it.

“Well, well, well. Hello there, Harry.” Wilson Fisk stepped into the Sanctum, breathing in the strange scents of oils and potions and smoke that Harry was getting used to. “A magical place indeed.” He was followed by three of his larger henchmen with bulging biceps and thick necks. Harry could see the tips of their guns that were attached to their belts. Harry broke out into a nervous sweat.

“So… Uh… the library is that way. If you’re going to find something useful, it’s going to be there.” He pointed toward the library where Strange had talked to Nightmare.

Fisk pondered that for a second and then signaled for his guys to go and check it out. They unleashed their guns and made their way to the library. “We are close now, Harry, I feel it. Soon, we will have the mechanism we need to change the past for our benefit. Finally, these costumed goons will get what’s coming to them. Daredevil will wish he had never been born, and you might even get a chance to get revenge on that Spider-Man.”

Harry’s head perked up at the mention of Spider-Man. “Revenge? What are you talking about? He hasn’t done anything to me.”

“Nonsense Harry, he killed your father. Yes, he may have convinced you that he is your friend or ally, but if he knew what you were doing right now… do you think he wouldn’t hesitate to stop you? To put you in jail? Kill you?”

Harry snorted. “Spider-Man doesn’t have the gut to kill anyone. And he didn’t kill my father… he took his own life…” But Fisk’s words echoed Harry’s own thoughts about Peter and he couldn’t help but feel an angry bile start to fill his throat.

Harry glanced up the stairs at the thought of Peter, and Fisk must have noticed because he said, “So, Harry… what’s upstairs that has you so scared?”

Harry quickly looked back at Fisk and tried to keep a blank face. “Huh? Not sure what you’re talking about Fisk. No one else is here but us.”

Fisk gave him a suspicious sidelong glance. “I didn’t ask you if anyone was here…”

Harry could feel his heart leaping into his throat and pounding so loudly he could barely hear himself think. “Of course, you didn’t, but I just assumed…”

“Harry, is someone here?” Fisk asked in a dangerously calm voice. Harry shook his head ‘no.’ “Harry, don’t lie to me, son. You told me no one would be here. I brought my men as a precaution, but I really am not in the mood to fight tonight. It’s just been a very long day. I have had quite a few business partners… disappoint me… I’d hate for you to add yourself to that list.”

Harry started gnawing at his lip. “I am not lying to you… I mean, it’s just Ned up there. You remember, from my office? He’s nobody important.”

“Mr. Leeds?” Fisk asked. “Why is he here?”

“Uh, he wanted to come with me so we could have a… bro hang… it’s just so hard to get him off my back, you know? He’s like one of those friends who always shows up at the most inopportune moments and is all up in your business.”

Fisk pushed past Harry. “Well, I might have to say hello to him then.”

“What!?” Harry grabbed the cuff of his crisp white-collared shirt. “No, you can’t! You have to stay down here!”

Fisk whirled around and glared at Harry, his other large hand raised as if to strike Harry down. “You better start telling the truth, Osborn, or this won’t end well for you or your friend, Mr. Leeds.”

Harry could feel himself losing control of the situation, and he didn’t like it. “Okay, look. When I said the owner of the house was out, it wasn’t exactly a lie, but it also wasn’t completely true.”

Fisk’s eyebrows cinched up in anger. “What are you talking about?”

“I, uh, they are asleep upstairs, they entered another dimension metaphysically, so their bodies are there, but they aren’t? I don’t know my friend Peter is better at this stuff than I am.”

“Who’s they? I thought you said this place belonged to just one person.” Fisk’s little eyes pierced Harry right through his soul.

“Yeah, other sorcerers, one other sorcerer and Ned, he’s protecting them,”

“Protecting them,”

“Yeah, their bodies, it’s no big deal… there’s nothing up there of consequence anyway, just his meditation room, bedrooms, bathrooms, you know, no special spell books, magical artifacts…”

“Then you won’t mind if I take a look.” Fisk then shouted for his men, who hurried out of the library. “Boys, I think we should check around upstairs. Mr. Osborn has given me an inkling there’s something there we should see.”

“That’s good, boss,” one of them said, “because I honestly can’t read half the books in there, they are all in some kind of ancient language.”

Fisk sighed, and then he started up the stairs again.

“Please Mr. Fisk, you don’t understand. If you wake them up, you can find yourself in a lot of trouble! Those sorcerer guys are dangerous!” Harry shouted as he hurried up the stairs after them.

“Yes, well so am I, Mr. Osborn,” he replied as he reached the meditation room. He grabbed the door handle and before Harry could get to him, he pushed open the door.

“Harry, you’re ba….” Ned trailed off, his face going pale his body frozen to the spot.

Fisk’s eyes immediately went to the sleeping body of Peter. “Well, well, well, it is my lucky day,” he said his lips curling into a smile.

**_Peter’s POV_ **

The first thing he noticed when he woke up was an aching back. He groaned and sat up slowly, rubbing it with his left hand. As he did, he observed his surroundings. He was laying on hard rock that left a burnt orange dust residue on his suit. The landscape was barren except for a lake that seemed to glisten in the distance.

 _Where am I?_ he thought as he slowly stood up and shook the dust off him. He realized his mask was in his hand so he placed it on. “Hey Karen, what’s going on?”

“I can’t say,” she answered. “We are not in our dimension. My capabilities are limited.”

“Seriously? Well, that sucks. Guess Tony didn’t think I’d ever visit other dimensions then.”

“I’m sorry, Peter. But I can advise you that your heart rate is quite elevated right now.”

“Well, yeah, because I’m trapped in another dimension with a demon that wants to use my mind as a Golden Corral. And I have no idea where Doctor Strange, MJ, or Wong are!” he sighed. “This is not how this was supposed to go.”

“Well that’s life, isn’t it, Peter?”

Peter turned quickly and entered into a fighting stance. “Uncle Ben?”

His deceased Uncle stood before him, not his younger version, but the Uncle Ben Peter remembered better; the one who just wanted the best for him and didn’t understand why he was sneaking out the of the house at night. Peter didn’t any evil vibes from him either, so he relaxed just a little.

“Hello, Peter. It’s been a long time,” he looked Peter over and smiled. “You’ve been busy.”

“Wait,” Peter pulled his mask off. “Is this real or is this a dream?”

“Does it matter? Don’t you remember what Dumbledore said in that last Harry Potter book?”

Peter did remember - _Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?_ \- and it made him smile. “Uncle Ben, if you’re not part of Nightmare’s plan, then how did you… I mean… what are you doing here?”

“You don’t have a lot of time, Peter. If you don’t face your fears head on, there’s no stopping him from taking your mind and draining you until there’s nothing left but a shell.”

“How do I even do that?! I mean, I don’t know if you saw me fight dad and mom’s zombie corpses and I basically told off Granny to her face.”

Uncle Ben smiled. “While I appreciate that last one, it’s not enough. You know their deaths, hell even my death isn’t what you fear. It isn’t the pain that has buried itself deep inside you.”

Peter felt a pang of guilt. “What are you talking about? Uncle Ben, when you died I couldn’t… I felt so…It’s not the same…”

“It’s not,” Uncle Ben shook his head. “It’s different. What you faced took you to a place and back that not many people get to experience much less remember. And what you loss… was a potential future that was never fully realized.” He placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder. It felt so real that Peter could feel tears spring into his eyes.

“Losing you was losing a potential future,” Peter whispered. “For Aunt May.”

“But not for you. I would have always been there for you, Peter. But I don’t think I could have given you what Tony gave you. A sense of belonging in the world; a like mind; a haven for your future as Spider-Man.”

Peter looked down at his mask. “I started doing this on my own, Uncle Ben… but once Tony got involved… I don’t know how I can do this without his guidance.”

Uncle Ben squeezed his shoulder. “Peter… ack!” Uncle Ben arched back as some projectile seemed to have pierced him from behind.

“Uncle Ben!?” Peter exclaimed, grabbing the older man’s hand. “NO, no, no, not again, Uncle Ben!” He tried to steady his Uncle who clutched his chest with his free hand.

“Oh my,” Ben whispered, pulling his hand away, now soaked in blood. Peter watched as the blood spread quickly onto his shirt; as his uncle grew paler and colder by the second.

“No, no, it’s not fair, Uncle Ben, please!” Peter tried to hold him up, but the man couldn’t stand any longer. He crumpled to the ground, the dust swirling up around him, an eerily familiar whirring sound coming toward him from a short distance.

“Run!” Uncle Ben croaked out, as Peter heard a shrill laugh. Then his uncle fell onto his back and the blood seemed to gush out of his chest, covering him quickly.

Peter jumped away from him and then his spider senses came to life, making him duck just as a dark green metallic glider flew at him.

“Hehehehehe! Let’s play Peter!” the Goblin cried out in his high-pitched voice just as cold and menacing as it was two years ago.

Peter fired a few web grenades at him, which he dodged easily, looping around and around as he made another head-on assault for Peter. “I already beat you! I’m not afraid you!” Peter shouted. “Nice try Nightmare! But this won’t work!”

“You think you’re so smart, Peter Parker!” Goblin shouted through his terrifying mask. “But let’s see how smart you really are!” He then whipped his mask off, and Peter froze.

“Harry?”

Instead of the older Osborn, Peter was staring at his friend, lately more estranged friend, his smile in a crooked smile, his pupils consuming his entire eye so that they were black as coal. Peter shivered. “Harry, what?”

“Don’t you see Peter? I’m the villain you always thought I’d be. I’m just like my father.”

“No,” Peter shook his head. “I don’t think that…”

“But you do! Why else am I here? Just another person you failed to save.”

“No I haven’t failed. You aren’t like your father!” Peter shouted.

Harry whipped a pumpkin bomb off of his utility belt at Peter. Peter tried to flip out of the way, but the blast caught him and sent him flying sideways into a stack of dusty red boulders. “Oomph,” Peter grunted as his shoulder and hip hit. He groaned as he tried to recover, his body screaming with pain.

“Oh didn’t think you could get hurt in this dimension did you?” Harry taunted as he flew closer. “Guess you’re not as smart as you think you are.” He dropped off the glider and marched to Peter, stopping just in front of him, his slightly larger figure looming over Peter’s.

“Harry, I don’t think I’m smarter than you,” Peter exclaimed. “But then again…. Test scores don’t lie.” He shot out a web that wrapped around Harry’s legs, binding them together and catching him off balance. Peter jumped up and shot out another set of webbing to bind Harry’s hands. “Man, that was easy.”

But then Harry started squirming and writhing there on the ground. “Grrkkk…. Rruukkkhh,” he gurgled and Peter watched in horror as his veins began to bulge out and turn green. The green spread throughout his body, and it started to transform.

“Oh God, please don’t turn into the Hulk,” he muttered, readying himself.

Slowly his smooth skin turned scaly, his limbs seemed to break and reform into something longer, more inhuman. And then his eyes turned bright yellow. He looked like… an actual goblin. He broke through the webs and scrambled toward Peter, attacking him with an animal like rage.

Peter blocked his attacks and fought back with equal force, all the while trying to somehow get through to Harry. In his head he kept rationalizing it as just a dream, but it felt so real. “You did this to me!” Harry shouted, his voice garbled from the change. “This is your fault Pete! You ruined me!” His frantic movements caught Peter’s senses off guard and he managed to get a good swing at Peter, his long, yellow finger nails scraping Peter’s cheek. Peter yelled out in pain and then grabbed his arm and twisted it, flipping Harry with it. He threw him onto the ground and dropped down, straddling him and webbing up each of his arms quickly to tie him down.

“Okay, stay down!” Peter said, climbing off of him. “IF you were the real Harry, I’d help you, but right now, I gotta find MJ and Doc and… what the hell?” a chorus of screeches and yelps distracted him. He looked up to see what now was coming for him.

Before him was a horde of monsters… no, Peter remembered them, they were called Outriders, and they were aliens in Thanos’ army. They had thin bodies covered in a slick black skin and their limbs were gangly and long. They took galloping strides toward him and Peter looked around for something to grab onto and start swinging.

“Why am I in this desert!? This is not an optimal fighting environment!” Peter exclaimed, mostly to himself.

“Hey untie me, Pete, they’re gonna kill me!” Harry shouted, struggling against Peter’s webbing. His yellowish eyes were wide with fear, reminding Peter more of the Harry in the other dimension.

“Oh right, hold on, Harry, hold…” he jumped into the air as an Outrider reached them and lashed out, nearly slicing Peter in half. He watched in horror as the alien grabbed Harry’s arm and pulled hard, ripping it off his body. “ _NO_ ,” Peter gasped, frantically reaching for the rest of Harry.

“Peter, help, you gotta, help me, NOOOOO!!!” Two more Outriders jumped on top of Harry and started tearing him apart.

“NO, STOP! HARRY!!!” Peter shouted, and he used his webbing to pull a couple of them off. However, it was pointless as they piled on top of Harry’s writhing body. A few more started going to Peter, and he had to sprint away from them as fast as he could. “It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not real,” he repeated to himself with every breath he took in. He could hear the Outriders cries as they gained on him. He knew he couldn’t outrun them forever.

He then saw something up ahead that gave him hope. A cave. Peter’s lungs were burning, his muscles getting sore, but he pushed on till he got to the mouth of the dark abyss. He hurried inside just as one Outrider caught up to him. It grabbed Peter’s leg, pulling Peter to the ground. Just as it was about to make its death leap, Peter rolled away and shot out multiple web grenades to the rocks just above the cave’s opening. He could hear the rumbling, mixing with the Outriders cries. He could see them closing in on the cave as he dodged the one who reached him once more. He shot a few more web grenades at the other side of the cave’s opening and the rumbling grew louder.

“Come on,” He said through gritted teeth, dodging the Outrider once more and then hitting it square in the chest with his leg. It flew back into the cave opening and just as it started to get back up to go again, Peter watched as the rocks started crumbling to the ground, large boulders that crushed the Outrider and fill up the cave opening completely, keeping the other Outriders out but trapping Peter in.

The darkness filled up Peter completely and he leaned over, his hands on his knees, trying to get a hold of his breathing, and more importantly, his fear. _They just tore him apart like a rag doll. I couldn’t do anything. I did this, it’s my fault_ , he thought, his chest starting to tighten, his skin getting clammy.

“ _That’s it, Peter, it is your fault_ ,” the voice whispered around him. _“Don’t you feel it? The guilt? It’s all consuming. Breathe it in Peter, it’s so…. Filling.”_

 _Nightmare_ , he thought, his heartbeat starting to slow. _You gotta get through this, Peter. You have to find Doctor Strange and MJ. Don't let him get to you.  
_

However, he could see nothing in the darkness. It was a blanket covering everything around him. Then, he remembered something about his suit. Tony had developed it to think of a lot of different situations. One of them had to be fighting in the dark.

“Karen, does this thing have night vision?” he asked his AI.

“Activating night vision,” Karen answered, and suddenly his screen within his mask lit up and he could see the endless tunnel he found himself in. It felt so familiar, like the pit he always fell into in his dream.

“Well, at least I can see… not sure it’s helping me conquer my fear though,” Peter muttered. He started forward, searching the cave walls for any sign of an exit.

Suddenly, he heard a cry that sounded so familiar to him. It was female and it was full of fear. “What?” He creeped forward. “Hey Karen, can you amplify that sound for me?”

“Certainly.” The volume of the cry increased and Peter could make out the words.

“No, Peter, please stop!” the female voice frantically shouted. “Help me!”

Then he heard another voice shouting. “Hold on Michelle! We got this!”

“Doctor Strange?” Peter broke out into a run. “MJ I’m coming!” He shouted and raced ahead in the darkness, forgetting, for the moment, the pain in his legs and the fear in his heart.


	19. Where Dreams and Reality Meet

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

Michelle stared at the pile of dust where Peter had just stood. She felt bile start to rise in her throat and she struggled to keep it down.

“Where did he go?! Is he dead!?” she asked worriedly, taking a few steps toward the spot. As she did, their surroundings started to shimmer and shake and slowly disappeared, leaving behind a dusty, orange wasteland.

“Hmm, well of course this would be the predominant landscape,” Strange said, mostly to himself. Michelle wanted to ask him what he meant, but she was more concerned about Peter.

“What happened to him, Sabrina,” she demanded, marching up to Wong and Doctor Strange. They both looked at her, one with confusion, the other with mild irritation.

“Sabrina?” Wong asked.

“It’s a TV show about a witch,” Strange quickly explained. “Nightmare has just transported him somewhere else. It wasn’t real, Michelle.”

“Okay, if he just transported him then where did he take Peter? I mean look around, there’s nothing for miles!” Michelle tried to take deep breaths to keep her composure. Expressing herself was never really her strong point, and she always chose silence or sarcasm. But knowing Peter was in danger changed everything. _But he’s been in danger before_ , she reasoned. _But this is different. It’s interdimensional beings, magic, and all of its within Peter’s mind_. She wrapped her arms around her body as a sudden chill went through her.

“Michelle, It’s going to be okay,” Strange said, approaching her slowly. “Nightmare has made it a little more difficult for us, I’ll admit, but if we keep moving forward, we will find Peter, and when we find him, I guarantee we will find Nightmare.”

“We should head this way,” Wong said, turning back around to face them. He was pointing in the direction of a large mountain that had appeared. “That mountain just appeared a second ago. I sense that it might hold the key to finding Peter.”

“Or it could be a distraction,” Doctor Strange pointed out.

“I don’t care what it is, if it means we are closer to finding Peter,” Michelle stated.

Strange and Wong exchanged looks of ominous meaning. “All right, good point. We will start heading that way.”

The three unlikely companions began their journey across the barren landscape, a dull red sun beating down on them. Michelle found herself getting warm and shed her flannel overshirt and rolled up her jeans. The sun felt better beating down on her bare shoulders rather than the cloth of her shirt. She adjusted her tank top straps and kept marching with Strange and Wong.

“So, is this what the dream dimension is really like? Seems to me it would be, I don’t know, more colorful and fuller of stuff you’d only see in dreams…”

“Like what?” Strange asked, an amused tone in his voice.

“Like unicorn heads on dragon bodies or hobbits or something…”

“This isn’t a Tolkein novel, it’s another dimension,” Strange said with a chuckle. “The very fabric of this dimension bends itself to the will and subconscious of those residing in it and imposes that on the very minds of all living things. When Nightmare ruled over it, it was a haven for darkness and despair, and if people did not guard their minds while they slept, they were subject to unspeakable horrors. This is why he was trapped by the Ancient One so that beings in our world could sleep in peace.”

“Okay, so this is all from Nightmare?”

Strange hesitated. “No, I believe this is coming from Peter’s mind, actually. Nightmare has been feeing off of his fears exclusively and this is the result.”

Michelle stared at the bleak dusty landscape. “This is from Peter’s mind? That’s weird. I would have figured we would be in Queens.”

“No, I believe we are on Titan, or at least a version of it from Peter’s dreams.”

“The planet you fought Thanos on?”

“The first time, yes. The same place where he died.”

Michelle felt another chill down her spine. She knew that now was the time to ask Doctor Strange the question that had been gnawing at her since Peter disappeared. “So, um… when Peter… disappeared, like a vampire getting dusted…. Was that… how he…”

Strange paused. “Yes, it was how all of us went.”

“And when you say all of you, you mean…”

“Everyone who was wiped out by Thanos’ snap, yes.”

Michelle looked down at her own hands. “You know I don’t want to know…”

“That’s good because I couldn’t tell you,” Strange replied quickly. “It’s better you don’t know. Look at Peter.” He stopped and Wong nearly ran into him.

“Stephen, what in the world?” Wong looked perturbed.

“Look, it’s changing,” he said and gestured toward the landscape which was fast evolving around them, the air shimmering as dusty orange sky started to brighten and turn blue.

“Well, this looks promising,” Michelle muttered as walls started popping up around them. They were canvased with posters and pictures, all too familiar to Michelle. “Wait a minute…”

Then she saw it, her bed. They were in her bedroom. The rest of her furniture popped up quickly, her desk nearly crushing Wong. He managed to jump out of the way just in time.

“I take it this is your dream we’re in, then,” Doctor Strange commented, his hands at the ready for whatever was about to come their way. “Unless this is your room back at Kamar-Taj, Wong?” He smirked. “I do see a Beyoncé poster over there in the corner.”

“You’re always full of jokes, Stephen,” Wong. “But, no, this is not my dream.”

“It’s mine,” Michelle interjected. “I just don’t know what dream it is.”

“You dream about your room a lot?” Strange asked.

She shrugged. “That’s where I sleep, wouldn’t you?”

Strange and Wong exchanged looks again.

Suddenly, there was a tap on the window behind them. They spun around, and Michelle gasped. “Peter!”

She raced to the window, ignoring Wong’s cries of caution. Peter was perched outside, waiting to get in, still wearing his entire Spider-Man suit, mask and all. She pulled the window open, and as she did, she noticed that Peter’s suit was different; it wasn’t red and blue, but black. Something about that little detail made her stop mid-push. “Peter, you look…” Her airways were cut off as Peter’s hand jutted out and snatched her up by her neck.

“Michelle!” Strange shouted as he prepared to fight.

“O…oh… no… this…dream,” Michelle choked out as Peter climbed into the room, his hand still tight about her throat. She clawed at it helplessly.

With his other hand, Peter removed his mask. It was Peter’s face, but his eyes… his, kind brown eyes were replaced with black charcoal. He wore a hideous smirk across his face. “ _Hi MJ_ ,” he taunted. “ _Why are you here??”_

“You… know…why,” she said, struggling to breath.

“ _Because you’re pathetic. You think I need you, don’t you?”_

“I… _know_ … you…n…n…need me,” she gasped.

“ _I don’t need you. I don’t even want you. You know you’re just around because I can’t have what I really want… Liz…”_

Michelle could feel her chest tightening up as her stomach started to churn. It was the same nightmare she had started to have when Peter got distant. It cropped up every couple of weeks, especially when Peter clearly keep something from her. She didn’t like that she had this insecurity, she always convinced herself that these insecurities were a weakness that she didn’t need.

“Let her go, Peter,” Strange ordered the boy’s evil dream doppelganger.

His doppelganger’s eyes flashed in Strange’s direction. “ _This doesn’t concern you Doc_.”

Michelle felt that familiar shiver at the pure disdain in Peter’s voice. “I… know… you… love… me…”

“ _LIES! I don’t care about you! You’re nothing to me! I could break you in half like a twig if I wanted!”_ He then pulled her out of the window, and she heard Strange and Wong shout at him to stop. Michelle could feel herself dangling in the air as he swung up to the top of her apartment roof. He threw her down and she skidded across the cement floor, hitting a metal roof turbine. The impact and shock knocked the wind out of her and she struggled for breath, as she did, wincing in pain.

“It doesn’t hurt in the actual dreams,” she groaned, trying to sit up. She wanted to just sit there and wallow in the pain, but when she looked up and saw Peter charging toward her, she found the strength she needed to get up and start limping away from him. “Get away from me, Peter!”

“ _That’s not what you really want… I know you need me. More than I need you. You’ve been obsessed with me for years.”_

He reached for her, but a sizzling, golden lash stopped him, whipping around his wrist and pulling him back.

“Sorry, psychological manipulation and torture are not in the cards today, evil Peter,” Strange shouted, sending another lash toward Peter’s other hand. Evil Peter was quicker thought and dodged it, grabbing hold of the lash on his arm and pulling hard. The pull sent Doctor Strange flying forward, and his cloak caught him before he could fall.

“ _Get off of me wizard!_ ” evil Peter growled. “ _Your tricks won’t work on me!_ ”

“We’ll see about that,” Strange replied, and shot out a beam of energy from his palms that hit evil Peter and threw him back. “Michelle, get over here,” he ordered.

Michelle clasped her rib, which she swore had to be bruised and tried to run over to Strange and Wong, but got tripped up and fell forward, catching herself with her arms at the last minute. She turned around to see what had gotten her and saw her feet were bound by evil Peter’s webbing. “No, Peter, please stop!” He pulled her away from Doctor Strange and Wong. “Help me!” she cried out, realizing that for the first time in her life, fear had become her predominant emotion.

“Hold on Michelle, we got this!” Doctor Strange shouted and he used his boots to launch himself off the ground and flew toward Michelle slashing the webbing attached to her with a magical sword that appeared out of thin air. Michelle felt herself stop suddenly, and she turned onto her back and started to crawl away. She then watched as evil Peter used his webs to grab Doctor Strange and lure him toward him before giving him a one-two punch in the gut and face. Doctor Strange crumpled to the ground.

“Michelle, to me!” Wong said quickly as he reached for her.

However, he was hit in the chest with a web grenade and it lifted him off his feet and flung him away. Michelle watched as evil Peter grabbed her foot and jerked her toward him. He trapped her underneath his legs as he straddled her. She never made it this far in the dream, she always woke up. She winced as evil Peter’s face broke out into a triumphant grin. He leaned close to her face. _“You know how much better my life would be without you around?”_ He licked the side of her face, and it made Michelle gag.

She had never felt so helpless in her life, and what made it more terrifying for her was that Peter was the cause. _No, it’s not him, it’s all Nightmare’s doing._

_“You know that’s not true though, is it? You know this is how I really am; you really fear me, and you should. I’m stronger than you, smarter than you, and you’re worthless to me.”_

He placed his hands on her throat and closed his fingers tightly around it. “N…no…P…P…Peter,” she gurgled her hands struggling to free herself. He showed no restraint, though, or signs of letting up, and she could feel her windpipe aching and closing up.

“Incoming!!!!”

Michelle suddenly felt a gush of wind quickly followed by evil Peter being shoved off of her swiftly. She saw him rolling on the floor of the roof with Peter, her Peter, in his usual red and blue Spider-Man suit.

**_Peter’s POV_ **

Peter could see a stream of light that had pierced through the rock wall he ended up at. He could hear shouting and commotion coming from the other side. He knew it was MJ and Doc, and he had to get to them. “Dammit, of course this couldn’t be a simple way out,” he groaned, and then started pulling rocks away one by one, as quickly as possible. AS he did, the light grew in diameter. However, Peter still thought it was too slow. “Okay, what can I… Oooh, I got it!” He started shooting out webbing until he had a grasp on a large amount of rocks. Then with all the force he could muster, he pulled hard. The rocks came tumbling toward him and he jumped up onto the cave wall to avoid them.

He saw the opening he needed and cheered out loud. He scurried out of the cave and came into contact with a tall building. “MJ’s up there, I know it,” he said and started climbing to the top. Peter made a final leap onto the ledge of the roof, and witnessed the scene before him. Wong and Doctor Strange seemed to be recovering from attacks and Michelle… Peter stared at her with shock. She was trapped beneath a figure in all black, that Peter recognized as a version of himself. “I hope you don’t have my spidey sense,” he muttered and then he used his webbing to swing himself in, connecting his two feet to the side of his doppelganger. The impact sent them both rolling.

He landed on top and stared down at the evil version of himself with a disgusted look. “Dude, do I really look like that?!”

Evil Peter cried out and headbutted Peter, knocking him back. “Getting beat up by myself? How Freudian is that?” Peter muttered, as he caught himself from falling down from the blow and then ran head first into the Evil Peter pushing him over to the edge. “Adios evil doppelganger!” He wrenched off the web shooters from Evil Peter and pushed him over the edge. “Yeah, try to stop yourself from that fall!”

He could hear the body as it rocketed down the side of the building and the sickening crunch as it landed. _Try not to think about that fact that that was you_ , he thought. He then turned, pulled his mask off, and ran over to Michelle. She was sobbing quietly, curled up into a ball.

“Hey MJ, hey, it’s okay!” Peter said quietly. He reached out for her, but she pushed him away. “Hey, no, it’s me… not… creepy demon me.” He reached under her chin and pulled it toward him. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face bruised. Peter looked down and softly touched the marks on her neck. “So… um… that was your nightmare, I’m guessing?”

“Well, it definitely wasn’t mine,” Doctor Strange said as he and Wong approached them. “Glad to see you’ve found your way back to us. Just in the nick of time, I suppose.”  

Peter smiled weakly. “Yeah, I’ll say. I didn’t know I could be so…. Evil…” He turned back to Michelle and reached down for her hand. She slowly gave it to him, and he hoisted her to her feet. “Are you okay?”

She touched her neck and winced from the tenderness. “I’ll be fine...”

“So, is now a good time to ask you if that’s a dream you have a lot?” Peter said, chewing on his lip.

Michelle glanced at Doctor Strange and Wong, who both raised their eyebrows and turned around to give the two teenagers their privacy. “Since you came back from your space trip, yeah…”

Peter didn’t need her to say any more. He knew what she must have thought when he came back; he was distant, didn’t want to talk about it. She had no idea what he was going through, and he had no intentions of telling her. He regretted that now, knowing what it made her think; how it seemed to play on her own subconscious. He pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly against him. “I’m sorry, MJ… I’m sorry for making you doubt me,” He murmured into her hair.

She dug her own face into the crook of his neck. “You know I usually don’t do emotions,” she mumbled.

“I know,” Peter said with a chuckle. “It’s okay, I have enough for both of us.” He could feel her shoulders shaking from laughter and he couldn’t help but laugh also. "Also, I thought a black suit would be bad ass, but now, I'm having second thoughts." 

“Have you two worked out all of your insignificant teenage romance issues?” Wong asked, breaking up their moment. “Because we are still in the dream dimension and no closer to trapping Nightmare.”

Peter and Michelle pulled apart, and Peter could feel his mood dampen slightly at the reminder. “Sorry.” He noticed something over Doctor Strange’s shoulder, suddenly that steered his attention; a shadow that seemed to be lurking about the fast fading city scape around them.

“It’s okay, Peter. But, Wong, for all his lack of tact, does have a point. The longer we take, the better chance Nightmare has of trapping your mind here forever in torment.” Peter could feel Strange watching him again. “You see him don’t you?”

Peter turned his eyes back onto his companions. “I…I..I don’t know. I think so. It’s all…” he rubbed his head, the tingling from his spidey senses starting to make it hurt. “fuzzy…”

“Peter, I think I know a way to lure Nightmare to us,” Strange said. He sighed and sat down on what was once a rooftop but had slowly dissolved back into the barren burnt landscape. He crossed his legs Indian-style under him. “You need to face your problem head-on and your attachment to it. By doing so, you can learn to accept the fear and pain and let it go.”

“I think it’s going to be a little hard to teach the boy the four noble truths quickly, Stephen,” Wong pointed out.

Strange closed his eyes and shook his head. “He doesn’t need to become a Buddhist master, Wong.” He took a deep breath and folded his hands into his lap.

Peter walked over to him and tapped his shoulder awkwardly. “Uh, Doc, what are you doing? I don’t understand what you mean? Confront my fear? I already fought my dad, mom and grandmother. And Harry… and the outriders, so I don’t know what else I could…” His voice faded away as the landscape started to change rapidly.

“What’s happening?” Michelle asked as she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Peter.

“I am projecting my memories into the dimension,” Strange explained, his eyes still closed.

“ _Your_ memories? Why you’re memories?” Michelle replied.

There was a loud CRASH and they all turned their attention to it. “Oh,” Peter said softly, as he realized exactly what they were witnessing. A few feet in front of them stood a small crowd of some of the bravest, strongest, and smartest people in the galaxy. Peter heard Michelle breath in sharply.

“Peter, what is this?” she asked quietly.

_“I got him Mr. Stark!” Peter could hear his own voice before it even spoke. The crowd cleared a path and Iron Man walked through it to the colossal purple alien on his knees trapped within Peter’s webbing. He struggled against it, huffing and puffing. The rest of the Avengers and the Guardians were all in a defensive position, their guns, swords and arms pointed toward Thanos, ready to strike. Peter was behind him, holding the webbing together._

“This,” Peter said softly, “Is the day Tony died.”

_“Good job, kid,” Tony said, his helmet receding into his suit. “I’m glad I got you out of that stone.”_

_Peter’s mask in his Iron Spider suit flipped back and he beamed at him. “Thanks Mr. Stark.”_

_Tony rested a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “I gotta soft spot for you kid, so I wanna keep you around,” He winked at him and then walked around to Thanos. “Can I just say, I hope no one remembers you,” he jested as he bent down to stare into Thanos’ eyes._

_“You think you’ve won, but all you have done is put the universe on a collision course to self-destruction,” Thanos growled._

_“Whether or not the universe will self-destruct, the people in it have the right to make the choice to fix that themselves,” Captain America stated, coming forward. “None of us here, you most of all, have the right to play God.”_

_“All right, Cap, no need for the righteous speech. It’s lost on Grimace here,” Stark replied. He then turned to Doctor Strange, the memory version of him. “So, Doc, looks like you’re plan worked.”_

_Doctor Strange pulled a large gold gauntlet off his hand. On each knuckle it was adorned with gems of different colors._

“Peter, is that….” Michelle was cut off by Peter’s nod.

He stared at the scene, every inch of it already etched in his brain already. He didn’t need to see it again; he didn’t want to see it again. “Why do we have to see this Doctor Strange?” Peter asked. “I don’t see why…”

“You know why, Peter. Just watch,” Doctor Strange said, his eyes still closed, hands still folded.

_“So what’s the plan now?” a man with a red leather bomber jacket and scruffy facial hair walked up to them. “What, you guys are just going to keep the infinity stones and go on your merry way back to Earth?”_

_“No one is taking the infinity stones,” a woman with green skin and black hair with red streaks said, stepping forward and placing her hands on her hips defiantly. “They need to be scattered again in places no one can find them.”_

_“No, I don’t think that’s such a wise idea either,” Doctor Strange spoke up._

_“I agree with the wizard,” Thor stated, stepping beside him._

_“It’s sorcerer, actually, but,” Strange paused, looking over at Thor’s blank expression. “Oh, never mind. Look, before I thought that the stones needed to be kept safe and protected, but I see now that in order to prevent this from happening again, they need to be destroyed.”_

_“Man, I am so glad we are finally on the same page,” Tony said. “Each one of these stones has cost each of us something, right? They have been a hindrance to the universe, they haven’t helped it. So, I think it’s time we destroy them.”_

_“Is that a wise idea?” T’Challa, dressed in his full Black Panther suit,  asked. “These stones, are part of the universe. Destroying them could have dire consequences.”_

_“Not any more dire than what they’ve already done to it,” Tony countered. “I don’t know why this is a conversation. The seven of us just had to jump through time to be able to bring you all back. If these stones remain intact, they will just be lying in wait for the next alien mad with power to take control of them.”_

_“I agree with you, Mr. Stark,” a woman with short blond hair and a tactical body suit red and blue in color approached him._

_“Okay, Carol, again, Tony, please,” Tony replied._

_She rolled her eyes. “We have all seen what each of these stones can do by themselves, and what they can do when placed in a vessel that could control them. Destroying them is the only option.”_

_“Then let’s stop squabbling about it and do it already,” Thor thundered._

_“Good, Point Break is on board. Okay, Rhodey, Cap, no not you, the female one, Doc, Wanda, let’s concentrate all of our firepower onto this thing.”_

_Doctor Strange set the gauntlet on the ground and the five Avengers that Tony called to task circled it along with Tony._

_“You are fools!” Thanos shouted. “You think_ I _destroyed the universe?! What I did is_ NOTHING _compared to what you’re about to do!”_

_“Thanos shuts his mouth or Hulk smashes!” Hulk exclaimed glaring in his direction._

_“Yeah without those stones, you may not want to tango with the rage machine now,” Tony remarked. “Okay, guys, on my count, one, two….”_

_And then at once they all aimed and fired either weapons, magical or kinetic energy, and, in Thor’s case, lightening at the gauntlet._

“Please stop,” Peter whispered, shrinking to his knees. The sky above them grew dark and the air started to thin. He felt his heart racing and his palms sweating inside his suit. He wanted the memory to end. He didn’t want to see anymore.

Michelle sank down next to him and took one of his hands. “Doc, maybe we should….” Her words were drowned out by the explosion that rocked everyone. Peter could feel Michelle getting thrown back, and he grabbed her to keep her from falling over. But his eyes never left the scene before them.

_As the ground shook, Peter could start to feel the webbing he held slowly start to loosen in his grip. He tried to tighten it once more, but then CRACK! The gauntlet received its final blow and an explosion erupted in front of them, sending the six assailants flying back. It caused the earth to shake and Peter lost his footing for a second._

_That was all it took. Thanos threw his shoulders forward sending Peter flying, and he broke the webbing with his arms. Peter caught himself on a nearby rock before hitting it and got to his feet._

_“WATCH OUT! HEY!” Peter shouted._

_Everyone was getting to their feet just as Thanos sprinted forward, grabbing a fallen sword, his daughter Gamora’s fallen sword, and heading straight for the six responsible for the destruction of the stones._

_Peter let fly a web, but it was too late._

_Tony turned around just in time for Thanos to run him through…. Again._

_“NO!” Peter exclaimed, stopping dead in his tracks._

_Tony looked up at the Titan with a stunned look. “This time, I won’t spare your life,” Thanos muttered, and then he pulled the sword out and went for Tony’s head._

_He managed to slice his neck on the side, but was deterred by a swift kick in his side by Captain America. He turned and was attacked immediately by a female android with blue skin and the green skinned female. They brought him to his knees and the android held a sword to his throat._

_“I guess I’ll be seeing you on the other side, Stark,” Thanos grunted, and then without any hesitation, the woman sent her sword straight into his neck. His massive body went limp and collapsed on the ground._

“I see now, Peter,” Michelle whispered. “I see why you’ve been so upset.”

Peter felt tears slowly roll down his face. “It’s my fault, don’t you see? I wasn’t strong enough, I couldn’t, and he just…” He covered his face in his hands.

_Tony fell onto his side, his hand covering the gaping hole in his neck._

_“Tony!” Captain America raced to his side and placed his own hand by Tony’s wound._

_“Well, this is poetic,” Tony gasped as he struggled to breathe._

_“It’s going to be okay, we can fix this. The quantum bands…”_

_“No, Steve, this is how it’s supposed to be. No more time travel, no more changing the past. I think all my timelines lead here,” Tony croaked. “But I do want to say how glad I am you are here with me, you and the rest of the Avengers.”_

_Captain America removed his hand from Tony’s neck and took his other hand in his. “Tony, I…”_

_“It’s okay, I know,” Tony replied. “Get me the Doc, now.”_

_Doctor Strange crouched down next to him._

Peter removed his hands from his face. He had seen the two of them talking but didn’t know what was said. He realized now that Doctor Strange used his memory on purpose. There was something he wanted him to see.

_“Tony, when I asked him to spare your life, I didn’t think…”_

_“That *cough* this was the end of it? I had a feeling. It’s okay. I have a task for you though. I know your not *cough* an employee, but I thought…”_

_“Of course, what is it?”_

_“Take care of him Doc, will you? Take care of Peter. He’s still young, he needs… guidance.”_

_Doctor Strange looked surprised. “The Spider boy?”_

_“Spider-Man,” Tony corrected. “Yes, him.”_

_“I don’t know anything about the boy, Tony. And  I…I…I am not a kid’s person.”_

_“Neither was I, yet here we are. You are who he needs, Doc. Believe me.”_

_“Tony, why don’t I try to get you…”_

_“No, Strange, there’s no fixing this, and you know this. You have to promise me; I know we don’t know each other well, but I think we’re kindred spirits.”_

_“It’s the beards isn’t it?”_

_“Yeah, ha, it is.” Tony grasped his hand. “Do this for me, Strange. You had asked once what the boy was to me, and he’s… you just have to promise me…”_

_Strange looked at him with a new understanding. He squeezed Tony’s hand. “Tony, I… I promise, I’ll look after him.”_

_“Thank you, Doc. He’s a good kid. Now, bring him over…. Quickly…”_

Peter realized he was holding his breath the whole time and finally released it. He watched as the scene started to dissolve before him, the image of Tony’s dying body slowly fading out of sight. He turned around to Doctor Strange who had opened his eyes. “I thought you were just being nice,” Peter said drearily, staring at Strange with new meaning. He slowly stood up and wiped tears from his cheeks.

Strange slowly stood up. “A promise to a dead man is not something one can just sweep under the rug,” he placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “You have spent the last few months blaming yourself for two deaths you could not control. Yours and Tony’s. I know you think Tony may have blamed you, but as you can see, his only concern was for your well-being, the last thought he had before he died. You have to realize that the pain you feel is all self-directed. No one blames you, but yourself.”

Peter looked over at Michelle who was still holding his hand. “No one else was left standing after the explosion, Peter. If anyone else was holding him captive, they would have lost control of the restraints too.”

 He looked down at his hands. “Why couldn’t you have just held on a little bit longer?” he whispered.

“ _That’s exactly what I was thinking_.”

They all looked up and saw Tony standing before them, arms crossed in front of his chest, a smug look on his face. But Peter knew it wasn’t the real Tony; no, his dark eyes and twisted smile revealed the dark entity that was masquerading as Peter’s mentor.


	20. Bittersweet Resolutions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of feels in this one.

**_Peter’s POV_ **

“ _You’re the one who stowed away,”_ Tony started, walking toward Peter with determination. “ _You distracted me, kept me from thinking clearly_.”

“WONG!” Strange shouted, and Wong swung his satchel off of his shoulder and opened it up to pull out the Book of Cagliostro. “PETER DON’T LISTEN TO HIM!” Strange exclaimed, turning his attention back to Peter.

Peter could feel the chill running down his spine, his head spinning. _He’s right, I did distract Mr. Stark._

 _“Yes, that’s right, and then you had to make me go and feel guilty for you dying when you shouldn’t have been there in the first place!”_ Tony continued to shout. He lifted his hands and black smoke-like tendrils snaked out of them trying to attack Wong. Doctor Strange threw up a magical forcefield that repelled them, but was immediately hit by a gust of wind that knocked him back and disrupted his concentration.

 _It’s all my fault._ Peter could feel the clouds descending upon his mind. His throat constricting, his chest in pain. _They all saw it; MJ saw it. She knows that I failed him. That I failed everyone…._

“PETER, IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT, DAMMIT! NOW HELP ME!” Strange shouted as he used his magic to bundle up the smoke and throw it back at Nightmare in the form of daggers.

“ _He LIES! Feel the pain, Peter, embrace it. Let me in!”_ Tony shouted. “ _If you had stayed behind, you never would have died, I wouldn’t have died. Don’t you see Peter?! Let me innnnnnn.”_

Peter steadied himself with his hands on his knees, taking quick, shallow breaths. He could feel himself getting lightheaded and that familiar feeling of going unconscious was starting to take over.

“Peter, stop,” Michelle said as she reached for his face. “Look around, you need to calm down and focus.” She directed him to the sky, which had grown dark and angry.

Peter stared up at the sky and saw the change happening. He hadn’t realized how dark it had gotten. “What, do you…” He looked into Michelle’s face and saw that same fear that she had when the evil version of him had attacked her.

“This is all you, Peter! Doesn’t this place remind you of Titan?!” Michelle shouted. He looked up at the sky once more.

 _That’s not possible_ , he thought. He looked around the space they were standing in, and realized she was right. The dusty, orange dirt beneath their feet, the ruins of metal structures that had sprouted up around them. Broken concrete steps and statues littered the ground. Peter’s gaze rolled over to Tony once more, who was engaged in a thrilling battle with Doctor Strange. Tony’s black eyes caught Peter’s and he growled angrily his attention now diverging away from Strange and Wong. Peter could feel his eyes piercing into his soul and whispers started to cloud his mind once more.

“Doctor Strange said this whole dimension is bending to you because Nightmare’s feeding off of your memories!” Michelle continued, pulling Peter’s attention back to her. “Don’t let him anymore! Control this Peter, I know you can do…” Her words were taken away by the wind as she was lifted up by some invisible force and flung to the side, her head smacking into a large boulder.

“ _Silly girl. She thinks she can save you… a lowly human. Just as weak as you are,_ ” The Nightmare version of Tony hissed.

“MJ!” He shouted, leaping into the air after her. His rapidly beating heart felt as if it was going to burst from his chest. His lungs had seemed to lost all air as his eyes focused in on the crumpled body of his girlfriend. He landed next to her and placed his hands under her head lightly, lifting it up from the rock. “MJ please tell me you’re okay, baby, please…” Her curls were damp and when Peter pulled his hand back, he saw that it was slick with blood. “Oh no,” he whispered.

“Pe…ter…” she groaned, her head lulling backward as she started to fade in and out of consciousness.  “It…hurts…”

“It’s okay, hold on, MJ, hold on for me,” He whispered. He leaned her forward and exposed the wound on the back of her head. Then he changed the settings on his web shooter and hit the button, letting a white mist come out – an antiseptic with pain reliever; a little design idea he had gotten from Tony Stark. “How…how... does that….”

She groaned, and her eyes fluttered open for a second before she went completely unconscious.

“MJ? Oh, god, oh no… MJ!” It was like a cloud clearing from his mind. He set her unconscious body down softly onto the ground and then looked up and saw everything for what it was. Tony’s figure was now black and distorted, and most of Tony was gone, replaced by an ancient demon both cunning and malevolent; a demon who had just hurt MJ and was about to hurt one of the only mentors he had left.

Strange flew into the air and charged Nightmare throwing glass daggers at him that he conjured from a spell. Nightmare swatted them away, fighting back a lasso of demon energy that latched onto Strange’s leg and pulled him down flat onto his face.

Then Nightmare attacked Wong, who was encased in a protective dome of blue magical energy. He had materialized a long sword that looked as if it were made of smoke and slashed at the dome, sparks of energy flying from the gash. The area turned black, but was not torn through. So, Nightmare raised his arm to attack again.

Peter knew he had to attack, but without anything around to latch onto, he felt like he was going to be limited to

“HEY ALICE COOPER!” Peter shouted just as he swung around to the side of Nightmare’s face and kicked him in the jaw. “If she dies because of you, you’re going to wish you didn’t have any of my pain!”

Nightmare stumbled, his sword disappearing. He looked up at Peter, and Peter saw the last remnants of his former mentor’s physical form disappear replaced by an elongated form in tattered black garments and scraggly hair that hung around a gaunt and vindictive-looking face.

“Whoa, you look like a cross between Sirius Black and a Dementor!” Peter exclaimed, coming back around to strike again, this time, landing a kick to Nightmare’s backside. “Man being imprisoned for thousands of years didn’t do you any favors, man!”

“ _Ah, don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing Peter Parker,”_ Nightmare said, as he helped himself back up. _“I have been in your mind. I know you mask that fear you have with a cocky attitude. I can still feel it deep down. It’s so intoxicating.”_

“Yeah, well, I may be afraid, but that’s never stopped me from fighting before,” Peter replied shooting a web grenade at him. Nightmare ducked and the grenade landed at Doctor Strange’s feet, exploding and covering him with webs.

“PETER!” Strange shouted, annoyed.

“Oops, sorry Doc!” Peter exclaimed, wincing. His goal was to keep Nightmare occupied long enough for Wong to complete the spell. “Hey so if you want to suck my soul dry, what’s stopping you? Come on, you got me right where you want me!”

Nightmare glowered at him and launched himself into the air, sailing straight for Peter.

“WHAT?! You can fly!? Man, that is so not fair!” Peter flipped backward and landed on the remains of a broken-down building, dodging Nightmare. He glanced over at Doctor Strange who had torn the rest of his web grenade off of him and had raced over to help Wong. However, it the energy shield had gone down, leaving both of them exposed. Peter’s brief distraction was only saved by his spider senses which alerted him just a nanosecond before Nightmare swooped in and grabbed him by the throat.

Peter clawed at his hands, which were wrapped tightly around his neck and closing in. “ _Here I have you. In my grasp. You think your foolhardy bravery will save you from me?”_

Peter grinned. “No, but they will.”

Nightmare’s grip loosened for a second as he turned around to see what Peter was looking at. As he did. Peter pried his hands away from his neck and as he dropped to the ground, he shot out a web on an adjacent metal beam to catch himself and then shot out multiple webs to trap Nightmare. The webs wrapped tightly around him, and he struggled to free himself.

Behind him, Wong and Doctor Strange were both standing in alike positions – arms outstretched, beams of light emanating around them.

“ _No,”_ Nightmare gasped as he tried to break free from Peter’s webs. “ _I will not go back to that prison; I will not be made to suffer another eternity in darkness!”_

“Funny, isn’t that what you wanted to do to me?” Peter asked, smirking. “I think there’s a really fitting quote from this old Disney movie, ‘phenomenal cosmic powers… itty bitty living space!’”

The beams of light spun and then centered onto Nightmare and he was lifted into the air, his body starting to fade. He shouted and screamed as the light pulled him in toward Strange and Wong. It continued to dematerialize straight into the Book.

Peter felt as if the boot that was stepping on his heart had suddenly lifted; his mind was clearer and more peaceful than it had been in months. As Wong closed the book and the light disappeared, he watched as the landscape changed around them. Gone was the destruction and death of Titan, and in its place was a blue sky and a green field that spread out around them.

Peter took a long exhale, something he felt like he had been holding in since Tony died. It felt good. Then he remembered Michelle’s injury.

“Doc, MJ!” he exclaimed, calling over Doctor Strange as he went to MJ’s body. He dropped down and took her hand. Her pulse was still moving, slowly, and the antiseptic he used seemed to have stopped the bleeding.

Doctor Strange came up and dropped to his knees to inspect her. As he lifted her head and examined her, he let out a sigh of relief. “It’s just a small laceration. You were wise to use that antiseptic mist to help stop the bleeding. She’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure, Doc?!”

Doctor Strange looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. “Peter, I was a neurosurgeon in my past life, or have you forgotten that little fact?”

Peter reddened. “Oh… yeah… sorry, I guess I….”

“It’s okay,” Strange said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You did well, Peter.”

Peter smiled self-consciously. “Thanks, Doc. That means a lot.”

Doctor Strange then looked up at Wong and cleared his throat. “What? Oh…. Uh, yes, Spider-Man, good job,” Wong added.

“Thanks Wong!” Peter laughed, shaking his head.

Michelle stirred just then, her eyes slowly opening, a low groan of pain escaping her mouth. “Peter?”

He grabbed her hand to help her sit up.” MJ, baby, hey,” he said in a low, tender voice.

She put her hand to her head and squinted up at him. “Am I dreaming now, or did you just call me, baby?”

Peter felt himself get even redder with embarrassment. “Uh…”

The left side of her mouth turned up into a smile. “I like it.” Peter leaned forward and kissed her lips softly, grateful she was there and that she was okay. “So, I take it we won?”

“Sufficed to say, Peter saved us,” Strange said, standing up.

“Oh, I honestly didn’t do anything, Doctor Strange, you and Wong were the ones who,”

“Hey Kid, take the win,” Strange muttered.

“Oh, okay. Uh, yeah, I did. I did it,” He said weakly.

Michelle started to try and get up, holding onto Peter for support. “How do you feel?”

“A lot better, actually,” Peter admitted. And it was the truth. “Does that make me a bad person?”

Strange shook his head. “No, Peter. It means you’re strong.”

“Hear that!? I’m strong,” Peter said to Michelle puffing out his chest in mock pride. She just rolled her eyes and took his hand.

“We all already knew that Peter, you just needed to know that.”

And then it hit him. Peter grabbed at his head as his spider senses started going beserk. “Peter, what’s wrong?” Strange said, moving toward him.

“I…I don’t know,” Peter said slowly. “There’s nothing dangerous around here now, so why….” He then thought he heard something in the distance; a voice calling to him.

_Peter…. Peter… wake up…._

“Do you guys hear that?”

They all paused to listen. Peter saw Wong’s face perk up with worry. “I do hear it. It’s your friend, Peter, the fat one.”

“Damn, that’s harsh,” Michelle commented.

Wong rolled his eyes. “If we are done here, we need to wake up…. Now.”

Strange nodded and grabbed Peter’s hand. “Let’s get back to our bodies now.”

**_Harry’s POV_ **

Harry jumped in front of Fisk, blocking him from Peter. “Okay, you’ve seen what’s up here, so why don’t we get back downstairs and focus on the important thing… finding a way to bring your wife and my mom back.”

Fisk seized Harry’s hand and pulled him out of his way. “You are quite the little deceiver, Mr. Osborn. I’d be mad if I wasn’t so impressed.”

He took a step toward Peter, and was stopped by a long black sword blade. “Don’t touch him!” Ned shouted, holding the black long sword that he had eyed earlier at Fisk’s chest. His arms were shaking from fear and from the sheer weight of the sword.

Fisk chuckled and shouted, “BOO!” which made Ned let out a small cry and drop the sword. Fisk nodded to his two guys who charged Ned and swooped him up by either arm. They pulled him away from Peter’s sleeping body. “So, Harry, you’ve had Spider-Man up here the whole time… that’s interesting… and ballsy, I might add. Betraying his trust in you right under his nose? You’re more like your father than I realized.”

“I’m not like my father!” Harry exclaimed. “Please, just… leave him alone.”

Harry felt helpless. He knew he had no way of beating down Fisk or his goons, and Peter, Michelle, and the sorcerers were still passed out. He looked over at Ned who looked frightened and pissed. 

He watched in horror as Fisk walked up to Peter and knelt down, no small feat for a man of his size. “Well, well, well, Spider-Man, let’s see what we have under there….”

Harry felt himself holding his breath as Fisk grabbed the fabric of Peter’s mask and, in one swift motion, pulled it off his head.

Peter’s sleeping face was exposed to the room; his secret revealed to one of the most dangerous men in all of New York City.

“Oh, no,” Ned murmured anxiously on repeat, his large brown eyes staring wide in shock.

Fisk looked at Peter with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction. “So, he’s more than an acquaintance of yours, isn’t he, Harry?” He reached out and touched Peter’s face. Something about the way he examined Peter, his studious face, his strange smirk made Harry uncomfortable inside.

_You’re an idiot Osborn. Why did you betray Peter? Why did you let this psychopath come here?_

“He can’t be more than 16 years old…” Fisk said in awe, his thumb gliding along Peter’s jawline as if he was trying to feel for any sign of a facial hair that would make Peter older than what he was.

“Don’t touch him!” Ned shouted, a surge of bravery coursing through him in that moment when Fisk touched his best friend.

Fisk looked up at Ned and smiled. “He’s a friend of yours too, I take it.” He looked back at Harry. “So, how does a 16 year old boy climb walls and have the strength 10 times an ordinary man?”

Harry shrugged. “I, uh, I don’t know… he doesn’t talk about it…”

“Tsk, tsk, Harry, I thought by now you knew better than to lie to me.” Fisk sighed. “I can see why you don’t want to kill him, now.” Then he pulled his Glock 43 out of his jacket and pointed it at Peter’s forehead. “Unfortunately for you, I have no qualms about killing this teenage boy… a menace to the city and to my enterprise.”

“NO! Peter, wake up! Peter wake up!!!” Ned shouted, struggling against his two large captors.

“Fisk, no!” Harry raced toward him and flung himself on top of the older man, who shouted in anger and threw Harry off of him. Harry collided with Michelle’s body, knocking her down.

“You will NOT take this from me Osborn! If he’s gone that’s one less costumed crusader running these streets and ruining my plans!”

Just as he started to pull the trigger, Peter’s eyes flashed open. “What the hell!?” Peter exclaimed, springing up too fast for Fisk to react. AS he did, he knocked Fisk’s gun out of his hand and sent it flying across the room. Then he landed and threw a side kick straight into Fisk’s midsection. Fisk staggered back and as he did so, Peter shot a web out, grabbing one of the desks and flinging it up behind Fisk, knocking him down from behind.

“Yes!” Ned exclaimed, and then grunted and doubled over as one of Fisk’s henchmen punched him in his own gut.

“Hey, get off me!” Michelle shouted from under Harry. Harry scrambled to his feet, grabbing her arm to help her up. She dusted herself off and then stopped as she surveyed the scene. She then looked at Harry with accusing eyes. “What did you do???” she hissed.

Harry felt his face go white. “I didn’t… I tried to…” but he couldn’t finish. What excuse could he give her that Michelle would believe? None because Michelle wasn’t naïve. Seeing the disappointment on her face hurt him more than it should have.

Meanwhile, Peter felt his face and his eyes widened. “My mask,” he looked down and saw it laying on the floor. He turned around and reached down to pick it up, and as he slipped it back on and turned around, he received a blow to his chin by Fisk. He stumbled back and went on the defensive, shooting his webs at Fisk, who was unusually adept at dodging them.

“Just because you’re a child, doesn’t mean I won’t kill you!” Fisk shouted, coming at Peter with his fists. As he went in for another blow, a gold shield materialized in front of him and he hit that instead, causing him great pain.

“I don’t think you want to be doing that,” Strange commented, his hands at the ready. Wong had also woken up and was dealing with the two henchmen holding Ned, sending a flock of bats that he conjured toward them. They freaked out and let go of Ned, who dropped down to avoid the creatures.

Fisk glared at Peter and Strange. Peter could see an uncertainty in his eyes as he looked at Doctor Strange. Even Fisk knew, it seemed, that those wizards were not people to mess with. “You think this is over?! I know who you are now, Spider-Man! I know who your friends are, I know more about you than anyone. Your life is mi….”

And then he dropped straight through the portal that Doctor Strange opened up beneath him.

Wong did the same under the two henchmen who fell through screaming as the bats went after them.

When the portals closed, a silence fell over the room. Harry was standing there in the middle of the floor, staring at the spot where Fisk had just stood, which was now empty. He didn’t dare look up; he couldn’t; the shame had overwhelmed him.

“How the hell did they get in?!” Strange demanded. He looked over at Ned who was slowly getting to his feet, panting hard.

“I… uh…” He looked over at Harry with a confused, submissive look.

Peter pulled his mask off, and looked straight at Harry. “You let them in, didn’t you?”

Harry finally looked up at him, and saw a fire burning in Peter’s eyes. Behind it Harry could see his frustration and disappointment. And suddenly, underneath Peter’s judging eyes, Harry felt his resolve harden, his shame slip away.

“So, what if I did?” Harry asked, almost too casually that he felt no emotion in it at all. “Look, I didn’t know he was going to come up here, okay! I’m sorry! We were just going to look for a spell to take us back into the past, that was it, but he started asking me questions, and he’s too good at picking up lies, and…”

“Harry, I told you to drop it!” Peter exclaimed. “I told you what you’re looking for doesn’t exist!”

The way Peter’s eyes lit up as he shouted made Harry wince. He had never seen Peter Parker angry before and it threw Harry off for a second. But then his own anger and frustration took hold. “You don’t know that!”

“He does,” Doctor Strange interjected. “Harry, there is nothing here that will bring your mother back.” He looked at him with sympathetic eyes, which seemed to make Harry angrier.

“Of course, you’d side with Peter!” Harry exclaimed as he felt the hot rush of embarrassment and tears. “Everyone sides with Peter. He can do no wrong!”

“Harry, that’s not true,” Michelle interjected.

“Oh, don’t you start with me,” Harry said, directing his anger to Michelle. “You’re so blinded by your feelings for Peter you don’t even see that he is full of shit.”

“HEY! Lay off her,” Peter shouted. “This is between you and me, Harry. You let Fisk in here, who you know is dangerous… who almost tried to kill you AND Ned once…. And you put my friends at risk and you let him expose my secret!”

“Your friends,” Harry repeated softly, shaking his head and chuckling.

“Oh, come on, Harry, you know what I…”

“Oh no, I know what you meant perfectly, Pete. You have always regarded me as an outsider, as a threat. Just because I’m not a yes man like these two,” He pointed at Michelle and Ned. “You don’t get it, do you Peter? You lost so much, yet you still have everything.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Harry,” Peter said in a low voice.

“YES, I DO! Oh boo-hoo, Peter lost his father and mother,”

“Harry….”

“Peter lost his uncle, Peter lost Tony Stark. Peter died…. Oh, boo-hoo poor Peter Parker,”

“SHUT UP!” Peter’s voice boomed throughout the room and Harry fell silent for a second. “What is this really about Harry? Is it even about your mother? Changing the past? Or is this about me?”

Harry glared at him. “What do I have Pete? I have no mother, my father was a lunatic who continually sent me away to keep me out of his sight, and the only real father figure I ever had was murdered. All I’m left with is what, trying to maintain a legacy of a man I hated? Three friends, who only put up with me because they feel obligated? And what does Peter Parker have? _Superpowers_ , a girlfriend and a best friend who would do anything for him, a woman who cares for him like a mother, and an endless supply of asshole father figures with similar powers who wear stupid costumes.” He glanced over at Doctor Strange and took a breath, waiting for Peter to respond. When Peter remained silent, Harry continued. “Oh, and to top it all off, you’re the smartest kid in the school, top of your class, and EVERYONE gives you a pass. It must be so hard being you.”

Peter crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you want me to say, Harry? Whatever you think about me, it doesn’t change what you did. Fisk knows who I am now…. He could be at my aunt’s apartment right now, and could kill her! Whatever your personal issues are with me, doesn’t change the fact that you put all of us in danger.”

“And I said I was sorry, okay!? God, what do you want? Me, to grovel at your feet?”

“No…” Peter hesitated. “I want you to go.”

Harry stood there for a minute, just staring at all of them his mind jumbled with words and emotions. “You want me to,”

“Go, you heard me. Get out of here now,” Peter said it with more authority in his voice. “You made it clear that I can’t trust you anymore.”

“Trust? Oh, because you trusted me so much before. Let me get this straight, Ned tells me your secret and you just hug and make up, but me… I make a mistake and it’s all over?” Harry spat. He looked over at Ned who had gone red and looked at his feet. Michelle just stared at him callously. Peter’s look was unreadable. “Fine, you know what… Pete. I’ll go.” He turned and started to walk out but stopped. “I really thought you and I could be good friends, best friends even.”

“You were my friend, Harry, one of my best friends,” Peter replied, his eyes shifting away from Harry’s face. “But this… this is not okay. You purposefully went behind my back with one of my enemies. How can I forgive that?”

Harry scoffed. “Whatever, Pete.” He turned and marched down the stairs, wanting nothing more than to get out of that house and forget anything ever associated with Peter Parker or Spider-Man.


	21. One Week Later....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys this is second to the last chapter for the story :( I still have one more before it's over. I gotta admit... got a bit emotional writing it...

**_Peter’s POV_ **

_One Week Later…_

Peter tugged at the jacket and examined it in the full-length mirror hanging behind his door. “You sure this looks okay?”

Michelle looked up from her novel she was reading on his bed. She was dressed up in a simple black dress with a white Peter Pan collar, her hair straightened for the first time in a while. “Peter, I’m probably the last person to ask for fashion advice.” Peter met her eye and she gave him a playful grin. “But I do like it on you.”

Her words sent Peter’s body into a tailspin of hormones, and he climbed onto the bed, and she turned onto her back to receive him. “Let’s just stay here in this bed all day,” Peter murmured as he peppered her neck with kisses.

Michelle slipped her hand down his black trousers, her hand stroking him until he got hard. “You know how much I hate emotional and awkward situations, but you have to go,” she whispered, pushing his pants and boxers down over his behind, exposing it to the cool air of his room. “But as long as you don’t make a mess on this dress, we can have a few moments to ourselves.”

He lifted up her dress and pulled her underwear to the side as she spread her legs further apart. Michelle reached over to his nightstand and pulled opened his drawer, fumbling blindly until she found the necessary plastic bottle. She emptied some of the contents into her hand and rubbed Peter’s member and then guided him inside her. She let out a soft moan as he filled her entirely, and it made Peter shudder with pleasure.

They moved together as one, Michelle’s hips pressing upward to meeting Peter’s and every thrust, every movement brought him closer to his peak. Peter knew that it was probably a bad idea for them to be having sex in that moment what with Aunt May and her boyfriend in the other room, and Happy on his way to his apartment. But after everything that had happened to them in the last couple of weeks, Peter felt the desire of the action pulsing even heavier in him than before.

Michelle lifted her face to meet his, grabbing his bottom lip with her teeth and suckling it tenderly. Peter groaned and pulled Michelle’s hands over her head, holding them there as he pushed deeper inside of her every inch consuming him. He kissed her once more, slipping his tongue inside her mouth and as her tongue met his, an electrical current swept through his body and made him release all of the tension that had built up inside. He moaned in her mouth as he came, bucking his hips against hers. As he slowly felt the current die down, he released her hands and sat up. “Crap, you didn’t…”

“Babe, it’s okay,” she said with a small smile. “I think you may need that more than I do today.”

Peter reddened and reached for the box of tissues on his nightstand. “Thanks, um, I should….” He pulled out of her slowly, avoiding her dress at all costs, and wiped himself off with the tissues. He handed her a few as well, and she pressed them between her legs and stood up.

“Right, okay, I’m going to casually walk to your bathroom and hope May doesn’t notice how weird I’m walking. BRB.” She rushed out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Peter tucked himself back in and zippered up his pants. He then grabbed his belt and slipped it on, examining himself once more in the mirror. He hadn’t worn this black suit since Tony’s funeral, so he felt it was only fitting that he would wear it on the day of the reading of his will. He combed back his hair, and nodded to his image. “You can do this, Peter,” he said to his reflection.

“And you’re talking to yourself,” Michelle said as she came back into the room. “Should I be worried?”

Peter laughed. “No, I’m good, promise.”

“Good because I think Happy is here.”

Peter gulped. “Oh, already? Okay.” He took one last look at the mirror before grabbing his backpack and heading out of his room.

“Safety net?” she asked, pointing to his backpack.

Peter shrugged. “You never know when crime will strike.”

“Okay Batman,” she retorted, taking his hand in hers.

They walked into the living room, and Happy was standing there awkwardly with Aunt May and her new boyfriend. He was animatedly talking to Happy. After Peter’s fight against Nightmare and Kingpin, Peter was resolved to finally tell Aunt May everything about the last few months. She listened with tears in her eyes and Peter had to hold her for a long time while she blamed herself and consistently tried to tell Peter she was going to fix things. Peter assured her that it wasn’t her fault, and that he was happy she had finally found someone after Uncle Ben’s death. This led to her insisting they meet, so they had dinner the next night.

He was a professor of robotics at Empire State and was genuinely interested in Peter and impressed by his knowledge. He was around May’s age with dark brown hair that was starting to thin, but you could tell that in his youth, he was an extremely good-looking man. He had black rimmed glasses and carried himself with a confident air.

“Happy, this is Alistair Smythe,” he heard his aunt say as she introduced her boyfriend to Happy.

“It’s very nice to meet you Happy, what an interesting name,” Alistair said, shaking Happy’s hand over-enthusiastically.

“Nickname,” Happy replied. “But at this point, what’s the difference. Is the kid ready?”

“I am,” Peter answered as he and Michelle entered the room.

The three adults turned and looked at them, and suddenly Peter worried they all knew what he and Michelle had done in his room. He could feel himself getting uneasy.

“Hey Pete!” Alistair exclaimed, coming up to him. “Let me, I mean do you mind if I fix…” he pointed to Peter’s tie.

“Oh, um,” Peter glanced over his shoulder at May, who bit her lip and smirked. “Sure.”

“Great, it’s just, a bit… crooked,” he adjusted Peter’s tie. “There, look at you, you look like a little adult.”

“Yeah, you look great kid,” Happy said. “Is the girlfriend coming with us?”

“I have a name,” Michelle retorted, looking at him pointedly.

“Uh, yeah, do you think anyone would mind? I mean, I kind of want…”

“No, that’s fine. Just don’t let on that the two of you are, you know, doing it. Cap is not a fan of that premarital stuff.”

“Wh…wha..what… we aren’t…” Peter stammered. He avoided contact with May’s eyes. She had already caught them once, when they first were together, and sex talks were already awkward enough. “So, we should go.”

“Dear God, yes,” Michelle replied.

Peter shook Alistair’s hand and then walked over to his aunt. She wrapped her arms around him in a strong hug. “I’ll have some dinner made for when you guys get back,” she said softly.

Alistair cleared his throat, and May looked over at him with a blush. “Okay, it’ll probably be take-out, but,”

“Take-out sounds great, May.” Peter kissed her cheek and then he and Michelle followed Happy out of his apartment.

“So, is everyone going to be there?” Peter asked him, as they got into the car and started driving to the Avengers compound upstate.

“Most everyone. T’Challa couldn’t make it, he’s dealing with a crisis down in Wakanda,”

“Crisis?”

“Yeah, something about mermen and Atlantis or something. Not sure.”

“Atlantis, like the Disney movie?”

“What Disney mo… oh never mind…” Happy turned onto the interstate. “How are you holding up?”

Peter glanced at Michelle, who gave his hand her usual reassuring squeeze. “I’m good, actually. A lot better than I have been.”

“Yeah, that sorcerer guy, Doctor Strange, kind of gave me a heads up,” Happy explained. “Oh, come on! Use your damn turn signal!” he shouted at the driver that cut him off.

“He did? Oh, good. That’s… good,” Peter swallowed hard. “So, how much did he,”

“Enough, Pete, don’t worry. He’s not divulging all your deepest secrets.”

“Unlike some people,” Michelle muttered under her breath, mostly to herself. Peter turned his face toward her. “Sorry,” she said, grimacing. “I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“It’s okay.”

Ever since that night at the Sanctum, Peter and Harry didn’t talk. He wasn’t at school the first couple of days after that night either, but when he returned, he looked as if he was hung over and tired. He ignored Peter, Michelle, and Ned, and found himself back in Flash’s good graces. Peter only wondered what things he said about him to get Flash to let him hang out with him once more. Peter kept remembering what Tony had told him the night of Norman’s death; he said Peter was a good influence on Harry, that he needed him. Peter wondered what Tony would say now.

“So, I should probably prepare you for what is about to take place,” Peter said to Michelle, trying to lighten the car mood and forget about the problems he couldn’t fix.

“What is about to take place? You make it sound like I’m about to enter some cult ritual or something.”

“No, it’s just… the only Avenger you ever met was Tony,”

“And Doctor Strange,”

“Oh yeah, but he’s not really an Avenger? Only kind of a helper… it’s complicated. Anyway, but dealing with all of them in one room is an entirely other situation.” He then proceeded to lay out all of the Avengers, and tried to explain to her what they did, and who they were.

Given the huge roster, it took them almost the entire trip.

“Okay, so Scott is the Antman and you’re Spider-man, and his girlfriend is the Wasp, and yet the only Fly we have is a 1980’s Jeff Goldblum movie?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Peter said, grinning. “Except I actually have spider powers.”

“But he can talk to ants. You can’t talk to spiders…”

“Ew, no, why would I want to? They are creepy.”

“Listen to yourself for a minute,” she said with a laugh.

“Okay, kiddos, we’re here!” Happy called out.

Peter and Michelle both went silent as their eyes peered out of the car windows at the grand compound before them. Peter suddenly felt a rush of butterflies to his stomach. “O…kay…” he said, taking deep breaths in and out.

“Hey,” Michelle grabbed his face in her hands and kissed his lips. “It’s okay. Whatever happens in there… you’re just here to support Pepper and celebrate Tony’s life. You can DO this.” Her eyes widened. “Jeez, do you hear me right now?! I don’t think I would have said something so supportive a year ago.”

“Oh MJ, you’re evolving, it’s nice,” Peter said with a chuckle. She rolled her eyes and punched his arm lightly. “Ow.”

“Uh-huh, I bet that hurt you,” she replied and set off after Happy.

From the outside, the compound looks serene and peaceful. As they entered from the bottom floor, they were met at the elevator by a tall, dark man in all black with an eyepatch over one eye.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the web crawler.” He held his hand out, and Peter shook it. “Glad I’m not the last one here. Would never hear the end of it.”

“Mr. Fury, hi,” Peter said.

Nick Fury grunted. “Mr. Fury, what do I look like your gym teacher? Call me Nick.” He looked over at Michelle. “And who’s this?”

“Michelle Jones,” she said, thrusting her hand out for him to shake. Fury looked at her and then at Peter with an impressed look.

“Okay, Mr. Parker, I see you,” he said, with a sly grin. “Nice to meet you Michelle.”

The elevator door opened, and he walked into it, the others following. “So, who’s he?” Michelle whispered.

“Oh, he used to be the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D,” Peter explained in a whisper.

“Oh, I still am,” Fury responded as if he had heard Peter’s explanation. “S.H.I.E.L.D. never went away, Mr. Parker, we are still here, fighting the good fight.”

“Secret government agencies, psht,” Michelle muttered.

They rode up in the elevator, and as it stopped, Peter suddenly felt his heartbeat pick up as the doors open. He hadn’t been in the Avengers compound in months, and he hadn’t seen many of them for just as long. The last time he had seen the team, beside in his newsfeed on his social media accounts, was at Tony’s funeral.

The room was buzzing with conversation. Peter saw Thor and Captain Rogers near the kitchen, talking to Sam Wilson, who everyone knew as Falcon. Thor’s hair was still short, just like the last time Peter saw him, and Steve had shaved his beard. Over near the long conference table stood Natasha Romanov and Hope Van Dyne and Scott Lang. Hope had her hand out, and Natasha was studying it with an air of admiration and scrutiny.

“Uh oh, looks like someone got engaged,” Fury said with a grin. “Excuse me, kids,” he nodded to Peter and Michelle and took off after the trio by the conference table.

“Let me go find Pepper, I know she’s been dying to see you,” Happy said, taking off down the hall toward the living quarters, leaving Peter and Michelle alone.

Peter squeezed Michelle’s hand. “So, uh, how are you feeling?”

Michelle was stiff as a board as her eyes stared almost blankly at the scene before them. “You know, I thought if I ever got to meet these people, I’d be cool. I’d be chill…. But….”

“THE LITTLE SPIDER IS HERE!” The booming shout came from Thor, who had looked over at them with a welcoming grin.

Peter blanched as all the eyes in the room turned to him and Michelle. He finally noticed Doctor Strange, who was sitting on one of the couches with Bruce Banner. Strange stood up and gave Peter a welcoming nod and smirk.

“Okay, be cool,” Michelle muttered to herself, although Peter could still hear her.

Steve Rogers and Thor approached him with outstretched hands. “Hey, Peter, it’s good to see you,” Steve said, shaking Peter’s hand enthusiastically.

“Uh, yeah, you too, Cap.”

“Even in Norway, we hear tales of the mighty Spider-Man saving the little people of New York City!” Thor exclaimed, clapping Peter’s back.

“You do?” Michelle piped up.

Thor shrugged. “Well, no, but I am sure Peter’s doing a mighty job anyway.” He squinted at her. “Who are you?”

Peter coughed and cleared his throat. “Um, everyone this is Michelle, she’s, um, my, um, girlfriend.”

“Well isn’t that adorable,” Nat retorted, a smirk moving across her face.

Peter felt himself go pale with embarrassment yet again. No matter how strong he was, he still felt so young and small compared to all of these powerful men, women, and gods before him.

“It’s nice to meet you Michelle,” Steve said, holding his hand out to shake hers.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Rogers?”

“Ha, Mr. Rogers, ha, where’s your polyblend sweater and puppets, Mr. Rogers!?” Sam exclaimed with laughter.

“Very funny,” Steve replied sarcastically.

“I’m surprised you got the joke,” Doctor Strange said as he came up to the group. “Peter, you’re late.”

“Yeah, turns out Happy has a hard time getting to the interstate from Queens,” Pete replied.

“I should have just picked you up myself. Portal travel is so quick.”

“Yeah, that would have been convenient,” Michelle said, giving him a side-eye.

“Ah, Miss Jones, great to see you again.” Strange gave her a curt nod and he turned back to Peter. “So, how are you doing?”

Peter glanced at Thor, Sam, and Steve who all seemed to awkwardly move away from them. Peter shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “I’m, okay. In my head, a lot better. No panic attacks or anything.”

“And Mr. Osborn? I know we didn’t really get a chance to talk about it after he left, but…”

“It’s okay, Doc. We haven’t talked, if that’s what you’re getting at. I’m pretty sure Harry won’t talk to me ever again.”

“Never say never, Peter,” Doctor Strange replied. “You did the right thing, though, as hard as it might have been.”

Peter sighed. Sometimes he didn’t feel like it was the right thing. It was obvious Harry was hurting, and Peter was so caught up in his own stuff, he didn’t even try to help Harry. He just cast him out. He couldn’t help but feel guilty about it.

“Peter?”

The light, female voice caught him off guard. He turned and saw the lithe frame of Tony’s widow. Peter held his breath. Suddenly, seeing her made Peter get choked up. He tried to push down his feelings, tried to keep a calm demeanor. She was smiling widely, and she embraced him. “Oh, Peter, it is so good to see you.”

“Hi, Pepper, it’s good to see you too,” Peter said softly. When they pulled away he said, “Pepper, I meant to come by and see you, but… I just… I was going through some stuff…” He looked down at his feet, ashamed.

“It’s okay, Peter, so was I,” Pepper replied softly, squeezing his shoulder. He could hear her voice waver, and he suddenly felt guilty all over again. “Tony would be so happy that you’re here.”

They both stayed there silent for a second before Pepper wiped a tear from her eye and turned on her smile again. “MJ, so lovely to see you. That dress is beautiful.” She turned to Doctor Strange. “Stephen, you look well.”

“So, do you, Pepper,” Strange replied. “Are they ready yet?”

“Yes, everyone is here now.” She took a deep breath. “So, we can get started.” She then projected her voice to the whole crowd. “Hello, everyone, and thank you for coming today. I know that Tony would both equally hate this whole circus and love it at the same time. So… I’m glad that some of his closest friends are here to see it all through.”

“Anything for you and Tony, Pep,” Rhodey, Tony’s best friend said, raising his glass tumbler in the sky. Everyone else in the room followed suit.

“Thank you Rhodey. The past few months have been difficult… for me… for all of us. Tony had a large personality and presence, and I think everyone here has felt that in some way. He ruffled some feathers, that’s for sure, but I don’t think any of us would have expected anything different. I know I asked you all here about Tony’s will, but truth is, the majority of it was boring business dealings and stuff about a few cousins out in California on his mother’s side that I didn’t want to bore you all with.” She nodded to a man in a gray suit with wing-tipped shoes who walked over to the mounted television screen in the room. “Instead, I thought you all might want to hear from Tony himself.”

Peter sucked in his breath quickly. _What?_ He looked over at Michelle just shrugged, but took his hand and led him over to the couches. They sat down next to Doctor Strange and Bruce Banner as the other Avengers all crowded in.

“Wait, so, Tony recorded himself?” Bruce asked. “How old is this video? Should any of us be worried about its contents?” he was rubbing his hands together nervously.

Pepper laughed. “No, Bruce, I don’t think so.”

The man turned the television on, and Peter rubbed his clammy palms against his black trousers. He was okay with listening to a guy reading a will, but seeing Tony alive, even if it was in the past, was daunting.

The image on the screen blinked on and Tony’s body was in front of the camera.

 _“Right, Happy, just adjust the damn thing this…”_ He seemed to be adjusting the camera in the lab there at the compound. _“Way, good. Okay you literally have one job, Happy. Stand there and keep that camera rolling.”_ He then moved backwards and took a seat on a metal stool. _“Okay. We’re rolling right?”_

 _“Well the red light is on, so I think so,”_ Happy said from behind the camera.

 _“And this is why I’m the one who deals with technology,”_ Tony sighed. Peter noticed he was wearing the same blue S.H.I.E.L.D. gear that he wore when they had gotten Peter and the others out of the Soul Stone, the day he died. Peter didn’t have to wonder how old the video was, he knew in that moment.

“Hold up, this was done right before…” Bruce caught on as well.

“So, this is what was taking him so long?” Steve asked. He just shook his head and chuckled.

 _“Okay, hello everyone, it’s me, Tony,”_ Tony said, looking directly at the camera now. _“I know this might be a bit morbid, me making a post-mortem video, but we are about to head into some very unfamiliar territory, even for me, and I just want to be prepared. I am the futurist, right Clint?”_

Clint Barton grunted out a laugh and looked down at his feet, rubbing slow growing hair on the side of his head, once shaved into a mohawk.

_“So, if you are all watching this, it means, I didn’t make it back from this mission. But, it also means we did it, and all of our friends are back, and the world is safe from Thanos…I mean, I hope that’s what it means. So, if that’s the case, there’s some stuff I want to say that really doesn’t belong in a will. I don’t have a lot of time, Cap gets like a nagging wife when I’m late to missions,”_

“I do not…nag,” Steve interjected.

“Yeah you do,” Natasha said with a laugh.

 _“But I wanted to speak to all of you, all the Avengers, first. When I became Iron Man 10 years ago, I had no idea what I was doing – shocking, I know – and then one-eyed black James Bond came to me and asked me to be a part of something bigger. And you guys can all be really annoying sometimes, seriously, even you Nat, but in these last 10 years, you have all become the closest thing to family I have ever known. We’ve been through a lot, which I gotta admit, may have been my fault about 75% of the time, but at the end of the day, there are no other people I would rather put my life on the line for.”_ He paused and took a deep breath.

_“Cap, I hope you make it out of this, because the team will need you. You have always been the backbone, and I hate to say I’m jealous, so I won’t. You’ll need to train the new ones, keep the old ones in line, all that good stuff. I’m sorry I let what happened all those years ago get in the way of our friendship too. You and I are different, but that’s what made you one of my best friends. You didn’t take my bullshit. I should have called you sooner; should have nipped the Accords, but… well you know how prideful I am. I hope that one day, you’ll forgive me.”_

Peter looked back at Steve Rogers, who had his hand over his eyes. Peter fumbled with his fingers, getting more antsy by the second.

_“And Bruce, I hope you and the big guy figure out what works best for you. I’m glad your back, and I hope you don’t go running off again. You’re an integral part of this team. Just like Nat and Clint. And Point Break, you may be the strongest Avenger now, I’ll admit it.”_

They all laughed at his comment, Thor loudest of all. “It’s true though,” he added with a satisfied smirk.

_“I can’t forget about you, Rhodey. You have put up with my bullshit longer than any of them. I just want you to know how glad I am that you have been by my side for this journey. I hope you continue to fight for what’s right. And Pep, well, Pep, I have something else for you, more private, I promise.”_

Tony seemed to fiddle with his fingers for a bit before continuing. _“I guess this leads me to the Doctor. All right, Stephen, I was super pissed at you for sparing my life back on Titan… especially when you could have saved… Anyway, I’m pretty sure I used every curse word in the book, including some that would make Cap pee his pants. But I think I’m starting to see your plan; it’s a little convoluted, but you are the one that saw all the possible outcomes, so I hope this works… and if it works, you owe me; you gotta make sure you take care of the kid. I hope I get to tell you this before I die, but if I don’t… take care of the kid, will you?”_

Peter felt the eyes in the room start to focus on him, and he bit his lip and looked down at his lap, feeling embarrassed. He knew Doctor Strange was also watching him, as he continued to watch the screen.

 _“He’s a really good kid, Doc. And he did kind of come up with the plan to save your life from Voldemort, so you owe it to him. It makes sense, with you both being in New York City, you can keep an eye on him now that I can’t.”_ Tony shook his head and chuckled.

 _“I guess… it’s time to talk to you, then, Peter.”_ He looked back into the camera, and Peter couldn’t stop himself from looking up at the screen. It felt so strange to have Tony looking back at him. _“Peter Parker, the amazing Spider-Man… you know I was really desperate three years ago when I came to your aunt’s apartment to ask you to come to Berlin. It was ridiculous, me asking a 15-year old kid for help. I had no idea what you’d be like, what you were even capable of, okay, I did because I spied on you, but I didn’t know who you were. But then… you surprised me, Peter. You have more strength and wisdom than I ever did at your age. I told you I wanted you to be better than me, and you are. And I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. It’s my fault you’re gone. And it’s something I live with every day. And I hope, God, I hope that the Doc is right and I can get you back. Because otherwise this whole monologue was for nothing._

 _“Peter, my father was never there for me, not until he was gone, really. So, I don’t know how to do this, properly. But I guess I want to let you know, how much you mean to me. Pepper and I never had kids, and you’re the closest thing that I ever had,”_ Tony coughed and wiped a tear that had started to fall from his eye.

Peter inhaled sharply, trying to hold back his own tears. He shook his head, “MJ, I can’t, I can’t see this…” he whispered to her as he started to rise from his chair.

“Peter, what? No, you have to stay,” Michelle said nervously, grabbing his hand. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, and he wondered what they were all thinking. He barely knew any of them, and they had no real idea of what Tony meant to him.

_“Shit, sorry, the closest thing that I ever had to a son. Peter, getting to know you over the last three years has changed me so much. I want you to know how much I love you Peter, as if you were my own. And I know you’re not… you had a father and your uncle, you don’t need another father figure, especially one as messed up as me, but I always hoped you accepted me as one.”_

“Peter, please stay, it’s okay,” Pepper said, coming up behind him and rubbing his arm. “It’s okay, Peter.”

_“And I hope you keep being Spider-Man. I want you to finish high school, of course, and go to college, but I do want you to be a part of the Avengers. They need someone with your considerable sense of responsibility and courage. I look at you and I see the future, Peter. The rest of us, we are getting older. We can’t do this forever, except Thor, I think he’s really immortal, but you know what I mean. You are an Avenger, and you’ll be the one who leads a new team one day when the rest of the team retires.”_

_“Which leads me to my last thing; my legacy. Okay, I said this wasn’t a will, but I guess you can give Strange my beard trimmer if you want,”_

“Oh, how did I know that was coming?” Strange retorted, which made Peter laugh unexpectedly. He also noticed the glistening eyes of everyone in the room. He realized how much Tony’s words to him affected everyone, not just him. _They must get it then_ , he thought.

_“But this part, I guess is… Peter, the future is yours. And I don’t mean just the Avengers or some weird philosophical thing; I literally mean it’s yours – the future of Stark industries. I talked about it with Pepper, and she agrees. I want to name you my heir to the company. I want you and that big brain of yours to take it to new places I never dreamt of.”_

Peter felt his body go numb. “Wait what?”

_“Pepper would have probably already talked to the lawyers already and they’ll sign all my shares to you. And I’m not expecting you to start helping Pepper run the company right away, but when you’re ready. But in the meantime, I already applied to MIT for you, and you’ve been accepted, and now you have the money to go, so I hope you do. And then I hope you come back and make Stark Industries - or change the name to Parker Industries, I don’t care, a beacon of hope for everyone.”_

Peter looked up at Pepper, who was smiling at him encouragingly. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Tony Stark just asked him to run his company for him. Him, Peter Parker, who could barely handle his allowance, was now going to run a multi-billion-dollar tech company. He started to feel light-headed.

 _“Hey Tony, they’re ready!”_ Bruce’s voice came from behind the door to the lab.

_“All right, looks like I’m about to do some time travel. Anyway, I just wanted all of you to know just how much I’m going to miss you all. If I die. Which I might not, but just in case….”_

_“Tony, I think they need you…”_

_“Yeah, Happy, I know.”_

The screen went black, but no one spoke. Peter could feel his heart palpitating rapidly, his hands getting sweaty. Every preconceived notion of how this day was going to go had flown out the window in the past few minutes. If Peter had to wonder about how Tony felt about him, he had to wonder no longer. It was all made clear and with the revelation came news that was going to change Peter’s life forever. Peter didn’t quite know how to take the information he just received. However there was one question that sitting on the top of his mind.

“So, am I rich now?” he asked aloud, to no one in particular.

His question was met with a slow chuckle from Steve, which grew into a big belly laugh that was infectious. The whole room started laughing, and Peter could feel himself getting drawn in. Grief was funny like that. It made you do irrational things like laugh, when you should be crying. But Peter couldn’t think of a better way to meet the grief he felt from losing Tony.

**_Harry’s POV_ **

He stared blankly at his large flat screen television, which was blaring an old episode of Breaking Bad.

“Hey, are you even in there?”

He looked down at his crotch where Felicia was looking up at him, her hand holding his cock, which was wet with her saliva. “Uh, what? Yeah sorry, keep going, I’m just…” he trailed off, his mind wandering away once again into that familiar and safe void.

Felicia rolled her eyes and stood up. “Okay, this is bullshit.” She wiped her mouth and stormed off to Harry’s bathroom to clean herself up.

It had been over a week since Harry and Peter’s fight, and all Harry could think about was Peter. He replayed the situation over again in his mind, what he could have done differently, how he could have salvaged their friendship. But then he found his mind arguing with him about Peter; _He should have been more understanding and forgiving.  He should have helped you instead of ignoring you_. It was like this all week, and the loop of regret and anger that had continued to play on inside of his head was starting to wear him out.

He found himself resorting to old tricks he used in boarding school to forget about his problems – drinking, sex, and the occasional drug use. But for some reason, it wasn’t quite working the same way as it did before. And every time he took a swig of vodka, every time he got on top of Felicia, he saw a swirl of faces in his head – the angry and betrayed look of Peter; the scared look of Ned; the disappointed looks from Michelle.

His cell phone started buzzing on the coffee table, waking Harry from his thoughts.

He looked at the caller ID and sighed. “Mr. Stromm, what does the board want now? I’m a little busy at the moment.”

“Yes, well while you’ve been busy possibly costing us a sexual harassment lawsuit with your secretary, we have gotten word that Stark Industries is about to announce some very important information about the new owner and majority shareholder for the company.”

Harry’s mind got into focus at the mention of Stark. He looked at his phone. “Wait, what day is it?”

“It’s Saturday, Harry.”

 _Saturday, Peter was supposed to go to the reading of Tony’s will yesterday_ , he thought. Not that it mattered since they weren’t speaking, but Harry started to wonder how it went. Surely, he would know who the new owner was. _Yeah, but are you going to call him?_  

“What station is going to be live at the announcement?”

“All of them.”

Harry shoved his cock back into his pants and jumped for the remote sitting on top of his coffee table.

He flipped off his Netflix and turned over to his cable, hunting for a news station. He stopped on one that had a ticker at the bottom counting down to the Stark Industries news conference.

“Ugh, now we’re watching the news?” Felicia returned from the bathroom, freshened up. She had put on one of Harry’s shirts, which typically annoyed him, but at that moment he was only concerned with one thing.

“Yes, Felicia, we are because it’s my job.” He curled his lip in disgust at his own maturity.

“You never cared before,” she replied with a huff, plopping down on the couch.

“Hello Ms. Hardy,” Stromm called out from the phone. Harry groaned at his own forgetfulness. “I’m assuming you are at Harry’s house on a business call?” Harry could hear the sneer in his voice.

Felicia’s eyes widened, and she gave Harry an infuriated glance. “Of course, Mr. Stromm, a business call… there were some documents Harry needed to sign… I just showed up.” Then she mouthed to him _Why didn’t you tell me he was on the phone?_

Harry just shrugged and kept his attention back on the television.

“Of course, you did,” Stromm replied. “Anyway, Harry, whatever the outcome of this announcement, we will need to make a decision on the shares. The board is ready to act, and we have a buyer, Dr. Reed Richards, who would be willing to buy them.”

Harry swallowed hard. He was glad that was the name he hard and not Wilson Fisk. He knew Fisk was still trying to grab up shares of Stark Industries – a way to become the most powerful crime syndicate in the city and world – and had been so far unsuccessful. Harry had once offered his shares to Fisk, but he was glad he didn’t. Even if he and Peter weren’t speaking, Pepper was always nice to him, and he wouldn’t want to see the company fall into someone’s hands like Fisk.

“We are told that the press conference at Stark Industries is ready to go live, so we are going to turn over to Lisa there at the compound, Lisa?” the newscaster said, and then the cameras flipped over to the press room at the Avengers Compound. It was packed with news reporters and cameras, and on the stage were a few bodyguards and the man Peter always called Happy.

Suddenly, the door from behind the podium opened up and Pepper Potts stepped out, looking polished and confident. Harry remembered the last time he spoke to Stromm about Pepper; Stromm had said she hadn’t been seen in months and Harry thought she was some type of depression. However, she looked far from it.

As soon as she stepped up to the podium, the lights started flashing from the cameras. “Here it is, Harry. The largest tech company in the world is about to dictate the way of our future,” Stromm said eagerly.

“Whoa, I did not know that this was that big of a deal,” Harry replied. “You sound like a fortune cookie.”

“One day, you’ll get it, Harry,” Stromm sighed.

“Hello, and thank you for coming today,” Pepper started. “As you know, with the death of my husband, Tony Stark, there has been some speculation as to the direction of the company; namely, who the new owner would be. I appreciate the patience of our shareholders, our employees, and customers during this time of transition. Tony was the backbone of this company and its namesake, and I know I speak for everyone here at Stark Industries when I say… he will be dearly missed.” Pepper took a moment and continued.

“However, companies are not like people. They can’t afford a time to grieve, they must keep moving forward. And that is our intention today. Unfortunately, Tony has no children like his father to pass the company onto, but Tony has become a mentor to someone that has grown like part of our family. This young man is smart and talented, top of his class with a spot at MIT next fall, but most of all, he understand the responsibility and weight of the role Tony has asked him to play,”

Harry stiffened. _No, fucking way…_

“And we all believe that with time and guidance he will take Stark Industries to new heights. Please allow me to introduce to you the new owner and majority shareholder, Mr. Peter Parker.”

“Oh look, Harry, it’s your cute, shy friend!” Felicia exclaimed. “And, boy, he looks really good in that suit.”

Peter stepped out of the door, nearly stumbling over some wires, but one of the security guards helped him keep steady. He had gotten a haircut and he was wearing a three-piece suit with... _Is that a fucking pocket square?_ Harry fumed. He looked completely out of place in that room, a nervous smile plastered on his annoyingly sincere face.

“Who the hell is Peter Parker?” Sromm asked through the phone. “Harry, you know this boy?”

“He goes to Harry’s school,” Felicia answered, when Harry wouldn’t.

Harry tightened both of his hands into fists, digging his fingernails into his palms until he could feel pain. _Peter fucking Parker… Tony Stark’s golden calf. Lucky Peter Parker gets everything he fucking wants…._

“Harry, what does this mean? Who is this boy? Is he a secret lovechild of Tony’s or something? Is he really that smart…”

“Sell them all,” Harry suddenly said, jumping up.

“Wha,”

“I said… SELL ALL THE DAMN SHARES NOW!” Harry’s voice grew louder, angrier. He could barely hear the television anymore as Pepper continued to speak about how wonderful Peter was and how much like a son he was to Tony and Pepper; but what he couldn’t take was seeing his face on that television; the same face that looked at Harry with so much disappointment and anger. It was too much.

“I don’t understand… Felicia just said,”

“Felicia’s my fucking secretary Stromm! Don’t listen to her, listen to me. I am telling you now, you wanted to sell the shares for Stark Industries, sell them. I want no part of that company anymore.”

“Okay, Harry,” Stromm said in deference. “I will tell the board and we will work on the transaction on Monday.” He then hung up the phone on his end.

“Jesus, Harry, that was rude,” Felicia said, glaring at him. “What the hell is wrong with you? I thought Peter was your friend.”

“He’s not my fucking friend, he’s everything that’s wrong with this world!” Harry growled. “I can’t believe this… No, I can because it’s Pete and he gets whatever he wants…”

Felicia stood up and placed a hand on his arm. “I think you need to relax, Harry. You should be happy for him. He’s just like you now.”

Harry whirled around and looked at her with a fury in his eyes. She shrank back. “He’s nothing like me! I earned my position through years of torment and abuse from my father! He’s not even related to Stark! He deserves none of it! He’s a scam! If everyone knew what he really was…” he found himself stopping short and then in anger picked up the remote and threw it straight at the television with such force that it cracked the screen.

Felicia moved away from him, suddenly scared. “I…I..I think I should go.”

“Best damn thing you’ve said all day,” Harry muttered.

Felicia shook her head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you Harry, but you gotta figure it out. You can’t treat people like this.” She then scurried out of his loft before he could reply.

Harry stared at the broken television, seething. He could barely see straight he was so angry.

Then his phone rang. He grabbed it and picked it up quickly. “Stromm, I told you once I’m not going to tell you again…”

“What’s wrong Mr. Osborn, got an unexpected surprise, did we?”

He stopped talking immediately. “Fisk?”

“Yes, I’m sure you’ve been wondering when I was going to call.”

“I was hoping never, but I guess I never get what I want.”

“Well, that makes two of us, Mr. Osborn,” Fisk replied. “So, you failed to mention that Spider-Man was also Tony Stark’s little prodigy….”

Harry groaned. He forgot that Fisk knew Peter’s face. “Yeah, sorry, I was too busy watching you get your ass kicked by him and the wizards to throw in that little fact.”

“You’d do well to not talk that way to your elders, Mr. Osborn,” Fisk said sharply. “Especially when they come to you with aid.”

“Aid?”

“It’s clear that you and this Mr. Parker are no longer friends.”

“How is it clear?”

“Your tone gives it away, perfectly, and I assumed Spider-Man would have been upset after finding us in that house the other night.”

“So, what’s your point?”

“My point is… Now that you’ve severed ties with the web slinger, perhaps it’s time for the two of us to join forces. Take back this city for those of us whom he and his little costumed crusaders have made it a nightmare.”

Harry could feel the slow ease of his heartbeat; the calming of his mind as things started to focus once more. “I don’t want to hurt Peter,” he said lamely. He wasn’t sure if he meant that anymore though.

“Oh no Mr. Osborn. You don’t need to hurt him. Let me do that. I just need your help.”

Harry turned off the television and took a seat on his couch once more. “What do you need?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go and then this part of my Peter/Harry/Michelle saga will be done. Stay tuned for how it wraps up :) and yes, I peppered some Easter Eggs throughout the chapter like Parker Industries and Reed Richards (because I'm dying for a proper FF movie in the MCU)


	22. The End.... Is Only the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guys, this is the final chapter. Thank you for continuing on this journey with me. I love these versions of the characters I've worked with for two stories so far, so I'm already feeling a bit empty now that this story is over :)

**_Michelle’s POV_ **

“Michelle, can I speak to you for a second?”

Michelle looked up from her computer screen and saw her boss, Terry, standing a few feet away near her office. The other interns and staff members in the office all seemed to perk up hearing Terry call out to Michelle. _Nosy losers_ , she thought, pushing her chair out and standing up. She headed over to Terry’s office, her eye-catching Eddie’s as she passed by his own desk. Gwen and Lily were crowded around it, chatting with him, both of them stiffening as Michelle passed. Eddie’s smile turned down, his eyes lowering as Michelle made eye contact. She just rolled her eyes and kept walking to Terry’s office.

“Come in, come in,” Terry said, ushering her into the room.

“Uh, what’s up Terry?” Michelle asked taking a slightly defensive stance. “Is this about the Rodriguez case because I am sure I reviewed every past case and…”

“No, it’s not, it’s about Lopez case.”

Michelle remembered the case. The lawyers at the ACLU were having trouble with the prosecution. She remembered griping about it to Peter a few days ago when they were out having dinner with May and her new boyfriend. “What about that case?”

“We’ve been having such a hard time getting through to the prosecution, but today, we received a call from the legal team at Stark Industries and they have agreed to help. They set a meeting up with the prosecution team for next week.”

Michelle inhaled sharply. _Peter Parker, I am so going to jump your bones when I get a hold of you tonight_ , she thought, trying to hide her smile.

“Well, that’s wonderful news,” Michelle said slowly, “but I don’t know…”

“They said you requested the help?”

Michelle blushed. “I didn’t request it… I… sorry Terry, I think this is my boyfriend’s way of  trying to do something good.”

“Your boyfriend?” Terry looked at her confused.

“Yeah, you know Peter Parker? The kid that Tony Stark named his heir?”

Terry’s eyes went wide and her jaw went slack. “I… uh… I didn’t know you were dating that boy. That’s surprisingly useful.”

Michelle shrugged. “Yeah for like a year now,” she replied. “I’m sorry if I shouldn’t have been discussing it. I know it’s a complete violation of our,”

“Oh, well, we can make an exception for this one time.” Terry grabbed Michelle’s hand and patted it gently. “Thank you for saying something, Michelle. Mr. Lopez will be very grateful if they are able to help us make headway with the judge.”

“Uh, yeah, no problem at all.” Michelle wanted nothing more than to leave her office at that moment. “So, is that all?”

Terry laughed. “Oh yes, of course, that’s all. I just wanted to thank you for that.”

Michelle pulled her hand away from Terry. “Oh…kay… well, then I’m going to go back to work then.”

Terry gave her a farewell nod, which gave Michelle leave to go back to her desk. She walked quickly, trying to avoid the group at Eddie’s desk. However, talking to them was inevitable.

“Hey, Michelle!” Gwen called out as she passed them. Michelle cringed and stopped. “So, what was that all about? Terry just doesn’t call us into her office for nothing.”

“Are you in trouble? Did you fudge some research or something?” Lily asked too eagerly.

“Uh, no. She was thanking me, actually. It’s no big deal, I didn’t do anything.”

“Thanking you for what?” Eddie asked her, suddenly interested.

“Oh, um, Stark Industries has volunteered some its legal team to help on the Lopez case. I guess I complain at dinner too much,” she said, trying to sound like she was joking, but she was never good at it.

“Oooh, the boyfriend stepped in, did he?” Lily teased.

“You’re soo lucky,” Gwen sighed. “When you said he was an intern for Tony Stark, you were like just downplaying the fact that he was like really close to him, weren’t you?”

 _No, I was straight up lying to you so that you don’t know he’s really Spider-Man_ , Michelle mused. “Uh, yeah I was.”

“You are so full of secrets girl, you know that?” Lily said, giggling. “Isn’t she, Eddie?”

Michelle caught Eddie’s eye and held his gaze as he stared at her with a look of annoyance and displeasure. “Yeah, she’s like Fort Knox,” he replied.

It had been a few weeks since the party, and only two weeks since Peter was announced as the new heir to Stark Industries. In that time, Michelle and Eddie barely spoke to each other. Michelle had no interest in speaking to him anyway, but she knew he was itching to say something to her. Every time she passed his desk, walked into the break room to get a drink from the vending machine, he would be there, words on the tip of his tongue. She knew it wasn’t going to be an apology; at least not a sincere one, so she didn’t feel like she had a reason to interact. She was perfectly content with keeping their conversations to a minimum, especially without disrespectful he was toward her and Peter.

“Uh, hey, MJ!”

Michelle nearly dropped her phone that she was fumbling with her hands as she heard the voice from behind her. She spun around and saw Peter standing there, hands in his jean pockets, his quippy science shirt that had a picture of a raptor that said: “Distance Raptor/Time Raptor = Velociraptor” just barely clinging to his biceps – _Are they getting bigger?_ – and his hair slightly messed and standing a bit up from what she guessed was his Spider-Man mask. Her heartbeat doubled its speed and she felt that familiar pleasurable tug in her stomach. _Am I ever not going to be attracted to this dork?_  She thought as he walked with a slight bounce in his step, over to her.

“Peter, uh, what are you doing here?” she asked, meeting him halfway and wrapping her arms around him.

“Didn’t you get my text messages? The streets were quiet, so I thought I’d pick you up and we’d go to my apartment for dinner. Aunt May asked me to pick up the food she ordered at Luigi’s,” he answered her in a low voice, his eyes darting furtively toward Eddie. Eddie rolled his eyes and looked away.

“Hi, Peter,” Gwen cut in, her blue eyes winking at Peter, making him redden. Now it was Michelle’s turn to roll her eyes. “So, were you just being coy at the party the other week about how close you were to Tony?”

“Oh, um, yeah, I guess so, it’s not something I wanted to advertise….”

“Why not? I mean do you realize how popular you’re going to be now?!”

“Yeah, also not something I’m super excited about,” Peter replied, rubbing the back of his neck with a self-deprecating smile. “But I guess I’ll get used to it.”

“Yeah, and now you’re richer than your friend Harry,” Lily replied. “Who hasn’t called me since the party by the way,” she stuck her lower lip out and gave Peter an insistent look.

Peter took Michelle’s hand. “Oh, well he hasn’t called me since the party either,” Peter jested, although Michelle knew there was more truth to the joke than a lie. “Um, anyway, if you guys don’t mind, I’m going to be taking Michelle here home with me.”

“Why would we care? She’s your girlfriend,” Eddie said under his breath.

Michelle wanted to snap at him, but Peter was quicker. “Yeah, you’re right… she is,” he squeezed her hand and gave her a wink. She didn’t need to look at Eddie to tell he was looking outraged. “Come on, I called Happy on the way here and he sent a car to pick us up.”

“Oh Thank God, it’s been raining all day, so the thought of riding around in the smelly subway does not appeal to me,” Michelle replied as they walked out of the office.

Peter shrugged his backpack off his shoulders and pulled the zipper open a bit to show her his drenched suit. “Oh, yeah, you don’t have to tell me,” he whispered. Michelle laughed at the thought of Peter soaking wet trying to fight crime. It had to be so uncomfortable.

“So, I guess I owe you a thank you,” she said as they walked over to the black sedan waiting for them on the curb.

“Oh, really?” Peter said, trying to play dumb. “What for?” he was terrible at it.

“Shut up, you know exactly what for. Terry couldn’t be happier that Stark Industries is giving over its best legal team for free.”

“OOOHH THAT….” Peter smirked and shut the door behind them. “I hope I wasn’t overstepping…”

“No, that was a nice surprise today. And you made me look good in front of my supervisor.” She kissed his lips softly. “So, he can’t hear us through that tinted window right there, can he?” she pointed to the small window that separated the backseat from the front seat.

“Uh, I think it’s supposed to muffle the sound. You know in case I’m having a private conversation?” Peter looked confused as to why she wanted to know.

“Oh good, that’s a relief,” Michelle replied, and then she climbed on top of his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Peter’s eyes widened when he realized her intentions. “I’m not sure why, but that shirt and your hair are doing something to me right now.”

“Yeah? I…I’ll keep that in mind,” Peter stammered, and she covered his lips with hers.

**_Peter’s POV_ **

He thought there would be a drastic change in his life when Pepper dragged him on television and announced that he would be taking over Stark Industries, but it was two weeks since the event and not much had changed. Sure, he spent more time at the compound than he ever had, and he suddenly had access to things he never had as a normal person; drivers, lawyers, lots and lots of money. But he still had to go back to school, still spider-ed it up at night, and still lived with his aunt at her apartment. The press even seemed to back off when they realized how boring Peter Parker really was. _If only they really knew_ , he thought.

School wasn’t much different either, surprisingly.

_“Hey, Penis Parker!” Flash shouted at him as Peter, Michelle, and Ned  huddled by his locker watching a YouTube video of Peter saving two kids from a speeding taxi._

_“And there goes my morning,” Michelle muttered as they all looked up._

_Flash was with a couple of his friends and they were slowing as they neared Peter and his friends. He was hoping the small group would simply pass them by, but Peter knew they wouldn’t; not that day._

_“Flash, your originality is so eye-popping,” Michelle remarked, glaring at him._

_“So, Peter, what’s this whole Tony Stark deal? Is this like some Make-A-Wish thing? Are you dying of some rare genetic disease that makes you a total loser?”_

_His friends snickered, and Peter felt himself go red with embarrassment. “Must have been pretty serious for someone like Tony Stark to take pity on you.”_

_“Shut up Flash,” Peter mumbled. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”_

_“Aww, Parker’s all butt-hurt about it. Was Tony Stark like your daddy or something?” Flash’s friend, Josh, laughed._

_“That’s impossible, Josh, Peter is too lame to be related to Tony Stark,” Flash remarked._

_“Okay, let’s get out of here before I punch someone and end up in detention,” Michelle said under her breath, grabbing Peter’s hand._

_“Hey…. Hey Harry! What do you think?!”_

_They all looked over at Harry who was passing the group by, hunched over and hurrying. He seemed to recoil when he heard his name. He slowly turned around and was a little taken back by having to interact with everyone. His eyes darted at Peter._

_“Uh, what do I think about what, Flash?”_

_Flash walked over to Peter and slung his arm around him. “Peter’s new-found fame and riches? He’s just like you now.”_

_Harry’s eyes traveled over to Peter, and the animosity shone clear through his look. “Peter Parker is nothing like me. He just got lucky, like he always does. That’s all.”_

_The space around them grew so thick and tense that even Flash could sense it, making him uncomfortable. “Geez, man, you are way too serious sometimes,” Flash said, shaking his head. “Let’s go guys. There’s way too much weird that I’m afraid it’ll rub off on me.” He pointed at Peter and said, “Later Pecker Parker!”_

_As Flash and his friends made their way to their classes, Harry quickly turned and started down his path he was on before he was stopped. “Hey Harry, wait!” Peter shouted, jogging after him. “Harry, hey, come on, man…”_

_“Peter, that wasn’t an invitation to start talking to me,” Harry stated, spinning around to glare at him. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I made it clear that I don’t like you.”_

_Peter’s guilt was gnawing at his stomach. “Yeah, you did… Look, Harry….”_

_“I have nothing to say to you Peter; our friendship is over.”_

_“Harry, come on…”_

_“I gotta go, Pete. Congrats on getting everything you wanted. But just so you know, I pulled all our stocks from Stark Industries. The last thing I’d want is for you to be associated with someone you don’t trust.”_

“You’re not going to act weird because I was around Eddie, are you?” Michelle asked Peter, bringing his thoughts back to the present.

“What? No, that’s not what I was… sorry… just thinking about Harry…. I just keep thinking about how things seem to be the same, but then he’s a reminder that they’re different you know?”

Michelle rubbed his knee. “Yeah, I know.”

The car stopped then in front of his apartment, and they exited onto the sidewalk. The driver rolled the passenger window down and leaned over to speak to Peter. “Do you need me to stay here and wait on you, Mr. Parker?”

“Uh, what? No, I live here?” Peter gave him a confused look.

“Of course, but in case you had other plans tonight…”

“No, I think I’m staying here the rest of the night, thanks though.”

“Of course, Mr. Parker. And the lady?” He glanced over Peter’s shoulder at Michelle.

Peter reddened. “Uh, the plan is for her to stay too?” He felt his cheeks grow hotter at the man’s smirk.

“Of course, Mr. Parker. I’ll pick you both up for school in the morning then, sir.” He then raised an eyebrow. “You do plan on being here in the morning, don’t you?”

Peter knew he was referring to the last few times that week he tried to get Peter, and he was already off, fighting crime. He couldn’t tell the driver that. He wasn’t sure how many people he wanted to know his secret yet, and Pepper had told him he didn’t have to reveal it to anyone unless he wanted to. “I’ll give it my best effort, Nick.” Then he lightened up and said, “but MJ will need a ride for sure!”

“Then I’ll be here in the morning,” he replied and gave Peter a two-finger salute.

“What was that about?” Michelle asked as his driver rolled out.

“He keeps showing up here in the morning, but I’m always gone,” Peter replied sheepishly.

“Oh, so he doesn’t know about,” she made a thwapping sound with her mouth and pretended to shoot webs from her wrists.

“Wow, not bad,” Peter laughed. “But no, not yet. It’s just… the only people who know are people I care about and trust so…”

“I get it. But he’s gonna come to get me in the morning, right?”

Peter grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to him. “I told him to make sure he got you.” He pushed a curl out of her face and kissed her soft lips, enjoying what was left of her cotton candy lip balm. His other hand circled around her waist, drawing her closer, pressing her hips against his. “I wish we could be alone all night…”

“Is it too late to fake a Spider-Man emergency and go to my house? Mom and dad are at some therapy retreat.”

“Peter, there you are!”

Peter groaned, turned and saw his aunt hanging out of their living room window. “Hi, Aunt May,” he called up to her.

May flinched. “I interrupted a private moment between you two, didn’t I?”

“Well, it’s not private anymore!” Peter shouted back.

“Sorrryyy… but dinner is on the table and someone is here to see you.”

Peter and Michelle exchanged confused looks. “Were you expecting a visitor?” Michelle asked him.

“Uh, no…”

They both hurried up the stairs. Peter wasn’t worried about the visitor because his spider senses were quiet, but he still wasn’t sure he was going to like the surprise.

They walked into the apartment, and his aunt and her boyfriend were standing in the living room with two unassuming-looking men in gray suits. One was taller and slightly chubbier with slicked back dirty blonde hair that hit just below his chin, while the other one was slimmer with short brown hair. He differed from the other man in another stark way as well; he had a silver aluminum walking stick at his side, and he didn’t look directly at Peter and Michelle when they entered, but just beyond them.

“Peter, these nice men are from the law firm Nelson and Murdock,” May said looking concerned. "We are going to be in the kitchen if you need us.” They both gave the duo a nod and sneaked away to the kitchen.

“More lawyers?” Peter couldn’t help but lament out loud. Then realizing what he did, he cringed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that it’s just…”

“We completely understand Mr. Parker. It’s probably been a very daunting last few weeks. If I was given the opportunity you were given when I was in high school, whew, I probably wouldn’t have gone to law school, that’s for sure,” the slightly more heavyset man said, stepping forward. “My name is Foggy Nelson, and this is my partner Matt Murdock.”

Peter shook his hand and then turned to Matt to shake his. Matt hesitated for a second and then reached out and shook his hand. It was firmer than Foggy’s and Peter could sense there was something different about him – besides the fact that he was clearly blind. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Parker.”

“Oh, you guys can call me Peter,” Peter replied. “It’s kind of weird, being called Mr. Parker when I’m not even 18 yet….”

“Wait, Doctor Strange, calls you,”

“Shh!” Peter hushed Michelle under his breath. “That’s okay because it's more like a… I don’t know, okay?”

Michelle smirked. “Okay, calm your nerves buddy,” she whispered back.

Peter turned back to the two men. “So, what can I do for you guys?” He took his backpack off his back and took a seat on the couch, Michelle following suit. The two men sat on the chairs on either side.

“Mr. Parker… sorry, Peter, we come to you to offer our assistance,” Matt said as he leaned forward in his chair.

“Our law office has had a lot of run-ins with a particular businessman, who’s really just a mobster. You may have heard of him, Wilson Fisk?” Foggy asked.

Peter and Michelle exchanged looks. “Yeah,” Peter said slowly, “I know Wilson Fisk.” He noticed that Matt Murdock seem to perk up at Peter’s voice. It was as if he could tell Peter knew more than he let on. “So, I don’t know what he has to do with me?”

“We have been following some of his actions as of late, and a lot of signs point to him trying to make big moves against the new company you are suddenly the owner of.”

“Oh, um, okay, well, I’m sure I’ll be okay… I mean… I got the Avengers,” he joked, trying to keep the mood light and evade any suspicion that Peter would know more than he let on.

“Peter, I don’t think you realize how serious this is,” Matt said, his tone clipped. “Fisk is a dangerous man, he nearly ruined our part of town, Hell’s Kitchen, and if he could get to you, he could ruin the world.”

Peter glanced at Michelle, who just rolled her eyes. They both knew how dangerous Fisk was. He knew what Peter looked like, and Peter anticipated that he would eventually put together all the puzzle pieces when he saw the announcement about Peter and Stark Industries. “Mr. Murdock, I know he’s dangerous… I mean, he’s gotta be, he’s a mobster, right? But I, I can handle it, I promise.”

“Y… y… you can handle it? You think you can handle it? No offense, but you’re a teenager. And if you think Stark Industries is immune to him, you’re wrong. While you’re busy getting adjusted to this whole thing, Fisk is strong-arming some of your staff. Here, take a look,” He zipped open his briefcase. “Let me show you…” he started rummaging through it.

“Sorry, he gets kind of edgy when we talk about Fisk, personal stuff,” Foggy said apologetically. “Hey Matt, what are you looking for?”

Peter felt a tug of nervousness as Matt’s anger and frustration rose. He could feel Michelle start to get antsy too. “Maybe you should,” she started whispering to him.

 “Maybe he should what!?” Matt’s head shot up, doing so, his hand knocked the briefcase over, spilling out some of its contents. Peter jumped up off the couch and crouched down to help him pick up his stuff. “No, it’s okay,” Matt said, “I got it.”

“No, it’s my fault, I’m sorry, let me,” Peter reached for a dark red piece of fabric and as he picked it up, he paused. “Wha…” he trailed off realizing what he was holding. He had seen it online in YouTube videos and the pointed ears on top were its most recognizable feature.

Matt ripped the fabric from Peter’s hand and shoved it back into the briefcase. “I said, don’t worry about it.” The sharpness in his voice made Peter jump.

Peter looked at Matt then clearly for the first time. He remembered Harry mentioning Fisk saying the Devil in Hell’s Kitchen ruined his life. He also realized that that very man was sitting in his apartment.

The room had gone silent, and Peter slowly stood up, turning to look at Foggy. His eyes were wide and his face was pale. “Uh….”

Peter then looked at Michelle who just gave him a reassuring nod. “You know what, Mr. Murdock? I think maybe you and I can work together to take down Fisk.” He then grabbed his backpack and unzipped it. He took a breath and then slowly pulled out his Spider-Man mask. He looked over at Foggy, whose eyes looked as if they were now about to fall out of his head.

“You? You’re?” Foggy asked, Peter, nodded and walked over to Matt and handed him the mask.

Matt felt the fabric, ran his fingers over the mechanical eyes, and the anger slowly faded away. “Wait a minute…”

Peter scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh, yeah, I guess you and I have a lot more talk about… Do you two wanna stay for dinner? My aunt can’t cook, but she does a mean take out. And it’s pasta night.”

He gestured toward the kitchen, and Michelle stood up to join him. “Ned is going to flip when you tell him that the Daredevil is real,” Michelle whispered.

Peter grinned. “Yeah, and that I’m going to work with him? He’s gonna freak out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TO BE CONTINUED... in the last story to tie the whole trilogy together. Even though the main storyline of this story is wrapped up (Peter dealing with the death of Tony), the storyline of Harry, Fisk, and Peter's newfound position at the top of Stark Industries has a little bit more to go. I plan on starting the next story soon, so stay tuned!!!


End file.
